#i am by no means any good at translation yet so like. pinch of salt and all that

[youssefguedira]

like the issue is i cant phrase why i dont like any of the translations but theyre just. vibes off

[hypmic-translation]

Naniwa Paradise Sake

CHORUS Down your glass and sing along This is Osaka drunkenness Division shit One drink, two drinks; it all tastes good No, I still haven’t had enough yet Naniwa-nyway, let’s keep on singing (1) Any division compared to ours is all full of shit Merrymaking; idle gossip The sunrise brings proof of our drinking spree Dotsuitare Honpo shit

SASARA Osaka Division’s formation celebration ROSHO Naniwa’s neon lights are looming overhead (2) SASARA The truth is, it’s difficult to know where to go REI How ‘bout a night of mistakes around Chayamachi? (3) SASARA Having a lively talk about nothing important is Nurude Sasara and his merry band of friends ROSHO Passing through Ame-mura, noisily wasting time (4) REI Crossing that border brings you into a new world SASARA Okonomi! (5) ROSHO Kushikatsu! (6) REI This is the nation’s kitchen (7) SASARA Let’s have a toast! Count to ten, if ya please REI Hey, we only just got here ROSHO That was very sudden (8) SASARA Our suddenly-formed team is sure to run into trouble It’s not really worth much, but I still wanna thank you (9) Us three are the best! SASASA/REI Cheers to that! SASARA We’ll be champions! ROSHO Yeah, champions of flour-food (10) ALL Those eastern divisions aren’t such a big deal (11)

CHORUS Down your glass and sing along This is Osaka drunkenness Division shit One drink, two drinks; it all tastes good No, I still haven’t had enough yet Naniwa-nyway, let’s keep on singing Any division compared to ours is all full of shit Merrymaking; idle gossip The sunrise brings proof of our drinking spree Dotsuitare Honpo shit

REI Alcohol is the best medicine around Kill the beat, make some noise, 108 desires in all (12) Word games are just instances of luck So it’s been decided, I’m tonight’s designated driver Irregular noise, a gold driver’s license (13) In our own private world, go straight Don’t drink if you drive, don’t drive if you drink (14) You’re only allowed to ride this track tonight

ROSHO Drank so much saké that I can’t stop laughing Stuck here in the same boat as this crook (15) Authority and wolves both will be forced to bow down (16) (24) Rivalry naturally gets me fired up (hic!) REI In simpler words, chop end-roll (17) ROSHO We’re gonna climb to the very top of this thing SASARA Aren’t you raring to go, Rosho~ Hm? ROSHO Huh? SASARA Oh, it’s your eyes? They don’t seem focused?

CHORUS Down your glass and sing along This is Osaka drunkenness Division shit One drink, two drinks; it all tastes good No, I still haven’t had enough yet Naniwa-nyway, let’s keep on singing Any division compared to ours is all full of shit Merrymaking; idle gossip The sunrise brings proof of our drinking spree Dotsuitare Honpo shit

REI Without following trends we’re burning through spirits (18) Instead of chilling at home, this is the DH way SASARA Wholeheartedly playing around? Overdrinking Chamisul, the Makgeolli’s here! (19) REI Before dawn arrives we’ll keep emptying shot glasses Quietly smoking cigars with unsteady hands Celebrating life is us nightwalkers C’mon, until the morning sun rises, let’s go SASARA Drinking a lil too much turns into a touching memory ROSHO It’s always the same with you, isn’t it (20) The good and the bad, all of it bare (21) We’ll find a clear solution to that centre party for a one-shot, one-kill (22) SASARA I don’t like rock as much as hip-hop, yanno Once the beer gets here I’m gonna gulp it all down with a “bang!” and a “boom!” ROSHO Hold on! What are you talking about! SASARA This was all un-alcohoidable! (23) ROSHO The hell are you saying? Whatever, that’s enough! I’m done here!

CHORUS Down your glass and sing along This is Osaka drunkenness Division shit One drink, two drinks; it all tastes good No, I still haven’t had enough yet Naniwa-nyway, let’s keep on singing Any division compared to ours is all full of shit Merrymaking; idle gossip The sunrise brings proof of our drinking spree Dotsuitare Honpo shit

NOTES (Under the read-more because they got very long!)

I’m so sorry for this one, but it was the only way I could think to incorporate the joke here organically. The line reads “ナニワともあれ歌いましょ (naniwa tomoare utaimasho)”, Naniwa being Osaka’s original name, as well as the name of one of its wards. The pun here is that “naniwa tomoare” sounds a lot like “何はともあれ (naniha-tomoare)”, which means “at any rate/in any case”, so a more literal translation would be “regardless, Naniwa, let’s sing”.

A more literal translation of “looming all around” would be “forward-bent posture”.

Chayamachi is a popular downtown district among young people in Osaka’s Kita ward. The shops there sell various kinds of food, fashion and forms of amusement.

“Ame-mura” or “Amerikamura” (American Village) is another one of Osaka’s popular entertainment areas, this time in their Chuuo ward. Has many Western fashion retail shops, bars, and nightclubs.

“Okonomi”, short for okonomiyaki, which is Sasara’s favourite food. “Okonomi” on its own means “how/what you want” while “yaki” is “cooked”, so altogether it’s “cooked how you want”, referring to it’s versatile fillings. I think this is probably supposed to be a pun, but I wasn’t sure how to reflect that and Rosho carries on with the food naming anyway, so I went more literal here.

Kushikatsu is deep-fried meat and vegetables on skewers. Its origins can be found in Osaka, and both it and okonomiyaki are popular there.

Osaka was once called “the kitchen of the nation” during the Edo period, where many different kinds of food from all over Japan gathered due to the city being a warehouse and trading port.

This is a nice example of how these three use wordplay very effectively - Sasara says “ten-count”, written in katakana. Rei uses a word that can be read as “ten” (but isn’t, in this case) and Rosho does the same with “count”. Likewise in the line following, although Sasara doesn’t use the same word for “sudden” he does use onomatopoeia that essentially means the same thing, bringing the joke full circle.

“碌でもない” means “good for nothing/worthless”. “後光がさしてる” means “to be very thankful towards someone” (enough to make them look like an angel with a halo). I’m not sure I got the meaning of what Sasara’s saying exactly right, but this is how I’m interpreting it. I didn’t pick up on this myself, but someone pointed out to me how this section is in itself a count-down from ten - Rei and Rosho say 10 and 9 respectively, and then Sasara incorporates the rest of the numbers into his lines from 8 to 1. I have no idea how to make that look good in English though...

“Flour-food” refers to how most classic Osakan foods such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki are made with flour.

“Aren’t such a big deal” is more literally read as “how much is monjayaki worth” (なんぼのもんじゃい), the answer being “not much”.

“Kill the beat” (apparently a common phrase in breakdancing referring to being able to skillfully stay on rhythm) and “make some noise” are two different sentences in this line, but they both include a use of the word “hame” (はめ/ハメ) which, when put next to each other, is slang for “having sex”. “108 desires in all” is a reference to the Buddhist belief that humans have a total of 108 “worldly desires”, or polluted thoughts. “Worldly desires” is usually written as “煩悩”, however Rei uses “欲望” which also means desire but in a lustful sense.

A gold driver’s license is what you can get if you’re a “safe driver” in Japan with a standard license (you get points for driving violations, so only people with 0 points can get gold). Apparently these can occasionally get you discounts in hotels and shops.

This is apparently a popular slogan in Japan in order to discourage drunk driving, and according to one source I saw while investigating it’s been in use for over 30 years.

“Stuck in the same boat” is my loose interpretation of “呉越同舟”, which is the concept of working with someone you consider an enemy in order to achieve a common goal.

Rosho says “okami” twice in this line - or at least that’s how it sounds. The first is “okami (御上)” and means “authority”, so referring to the government/Chuuoku. The second is “ookami (狼)” which literally just means wolf, likely referencing Matenrou as the 1st Division Battle winners.

This gave me agony for ages, and to be entirely sure I’m still not sure if it’s right, but whatever. Tell me if you have a better alternative. I’m choosing to interpret “chop end-roll” as “cutting off before the end of a movie”, as “end-roll” in Japanese is how you refer to end credits, so I guess what Rei’s saying is basically “we’re finishing this now”. Also he uses “言の葉” for “words” which is also the name for the Party of Words - but he doesn’t actually say “party (党)” so I don’t think he was referring to them.

“Spirits” being liquors.

Chamisul and Makgeokki are both Korean alcoholic drinks. Also, I was informed that the line “Makgeokki’s here” (”Makkori ga kuru”) sounds a lot like “Maddotorigākurū”, which is “Mad Trigger Crew”.

So this gets interesting. The things Rosho says in both this and the next line are slurred, which gives them a double meaning - he’s saying one thing, but what they sound like are alcohol puns. In this case, “always/frequently (shotchū)” sounds like “shōchū”, which is a kind of Japanese liquor.

Here, “good and (iimo)” sounds like “potato (imo)”, which is something you can make alcohol out of. The same goes for “bare (mukidashi)”, the first half of which sounds like “wheat (mugi)”.

I’m a little vague on this one so take it with a pinch of salt. Rosho says “チュー輩” which is “chuu” and then “party”. “Chuu” isn’t exactly “Chuuo” and “輩” is the kanji for neither “political party” nor “ward”, but considering how drunk he is here I’m willing to believe he’s referencing Chuuoku. You’re free to correct me if I’m wrong though, I’m still very unsure.

Again, I’m really sorry for this. The joke here is that Sasara says “酒ては通れない (sakete wa tōrenai)”, which… doesn’t really mean anything sensical, but literally something like “alcohol can’t pass”. However, it sounds almost identical to “避けて通れない (sakete tōrenai)” which means “unavoidable”. So… un-alcohoidable. Haha.

Bonus fun fact; “okami” is also a reading of the obscure kanji “龗”, which (basically) means “water dragon”. However, as with most kanji, “龗” has multiple readings, one of which (kan-on) has it read as “rei”, just like “零” (Rei’s name). I don’t think it’s necessarily relevant to the song because of the obscurity, but it is an interesting tidbit.

[needtherapy]

soaring, carried aloft on the wind...continued 23

An arranged-marriage story for Xichen and Mingjue, in another time and another place.

The Beifeng, the mighty empire of the north, invaded more than a year ago, moving inexorably south and east.

In order to buy peace, the chief of the Lan clan has given the Beifeng warlord a gift, his second oldest son in marriage. However, when Xichen finds out he makes a plan.

He, too, can give a gift to the Beifeng warlord, and he will not regret it.

Part 1: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 Part 2: 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 … HOME

It’s complete on AO3 here.

Notes: Check the tags if you’re concerned about the pairings ;)

For translations of the entirely fictitious Beifeng language, you’ll have to scroll to notes. I’m only going to translate something that’s not clear in the text. Sadly, there’s just not any other good way to do it on Tumblr!

Chapter 23

Xichen has never kissed anyone but Mingjue; he is at first too shocked to react, and then an intrigued, analytical side of his mind registers the differences, the unaccountable differences. Guangyao tastes like salt and wine. He is less demanding than Mingjue in some ways, but there is a fierce intensity in him, like a darting fox on the prowl. Instead of the inexorable heat of Mingjue’s passion, Guangyao’s mouth and hands are the tantalizing flutter of wings, a brush of eyelashes across Xichen’s skin. What does it mean, Xichen wonders, that he is not repulsed by kissing Guangyao as he suspects he should be?

Guangyao makes a soft sound of surprise in the back of his throat and slides his arms around Xichen’s neck, pressing forward with his hips, pushing him back further, and Xichen realizes his intent. With a clanging gong of clarity, it stops being an entertaining experiment. Even if he is distantly curious about what it would be like to bed someone else, it is less appealing without Mingjue to share it with. And no abstract reward is worth this risk to Mingjue’s trust, to his family’s treaty or—he is now fairly certain—to Huaisang’s heart. It is no hardship to plant his feet and untangle Guangyao’s arms from around his neck.

“Guangyao, stop. You’re drunk.” Xichen murmurs, cupping his hands around Guangyao’s shoulders and pushing him gently away. Tousled and flushed, Guangyao looks hurt and vulnerable, and Xichen has a flutter of regret. But this close, he can see a faintly purpling mark on Guangyao’s neck, on the soft skin just under his jawline. “And I do not think you truly want me, do you?”

“You underestimate your appeal, Xichen,” Guangyao says, with a charming smile, smoothly shifting from brittle and aching into an openly flirtatious man Xichen is even less familiar with. He skims slim and agile hands over Xichen’s chest, hooking one finger in the neck of Xichen’s tunic. “I am not too drunk to know what I want.”

“What purpose does this serve?” Xichen asks, truly mystified. There seems to be no value in seducing the Ikarahu commander’s lover, and he is not so vain as to imagine Guangyao does anything without value.

Guangyao blinks slowly at him, glancing up through downcast eyelashes, and his smile holds an enticing promise. Xichen isn’t as immune to the seduction as he ought to be and he moves back a step, putting space between him and this dangerous version of Guangyao.

“Perhaps I am lonely, Xichen,” Guangyao says, taking a half-step toward Xichen. “Ipira’orhew Ikira has made it clear he will not be alone with me, which is flattering, but unhelpful. You, though, are beautiful and, I think, not so uninterested.”

He tips his chin up, lips parting slightly, the invitation clear. Xichen is tired of being the only one who doesn’t seem to know the rules or stakes of this game he is somehow a part of. Unhelpful, Guangyao had said. What did he mean by unhelpful? It seems an important key to unlocking this puzzle, so Xichen accepts the offer, letting Guangyao’s lips meet his and trying to ignore the hands circling his waist.

“How could I possibly be helpful to you, Yao-ti?” he murmurs against Guangyao’s mouth, and Guangyao draws back with a frown, his spine straightening. Xichen expects him to lie or deflect, but instead, Guangyao’s response is unfortunately straightforward.

“Help me...” He lifts his chin and looks Xichen in the eyes, which does not reassure Xichen in the least. “Help me find a way to send the Beifeng home or extend the armistice while my father builds an army great enough to defeat them.”

Xichen steps back, this time more firmly, this time with fear. He had so hoped that Guangyao’s aim was only personal and not political, but of course he was wrong. Of course the Jin chief would not send his son to the Ikarahu without an ulterior motive. Xichen’s father had not, although at least his father was forthright with his goal.

“What you are asking of me...Guangyao, it would endanger…” he is unwilling to share the extent of his fear, and uncertain he knows how this Guangyao will react. “It would endanger the treaty with my clan.”

“If we are successful, it will not matter,” Guangyao says, a strange light in his eyes, and his right hand clenches unconsciously. “Please, Xichen. You do not understand. There is nothing else I can do. I am running out of time, and I am running out of options. I can not fail here.”

Xichen does understand, actually. Perhaps they had not intended to kill him, but Xichen suspects Guangyao’s father has already sent him an impatient message about the consequences of failure. Xichen feels a well of sympathy for Guangyao, but...

“What have you done already?”

Guangyao stiffens, and Xichen is so afraid of the answer, whether it is a truth or a lie.

“Nothing. I have done nothing, which is the problem, Xichen. I have sent my father one message, and his answer was...not satisfied. But I can not...there is no delay he will accept.”

Xichen can not imagine how Guangyao could have sent his father a message without Huaisang noticing. But then he knows. It is the only answer that fits.

“The bridge?”

Guangyao picks up a book, an account ledger, sitting neatly on a shelf and turns it over in his hands, brushing fingers across the rough leather, a tight expression pinching the corners of his mouth into a flat line. “The Ikarahu magic is unique, Xichen. Fascinating and powerful in such a different way than our people’s. My father does not think it holds danger. He values only foot soldiers and cavalry, but...he needed to see. It is a factor to consider if he is to build an army.”

Xichen wonders how intentional it was that tricking the Ikarahu into putting their magic on display also cost Guangyao’s father a bridge, a supply route, and provisions.

“Even if your father can launch a successful attack, the Ikarahu will not turn tail and go home without what they came for,” Xichen points out. “They will fight.”

Guangyao slams the book down, his voice turning bitter and angry. “Do you even know what they came for, Xichen? What they started a war for? What your family sold you for?”

Xichen shakes his head. “Does it matter? You know, do you not? Do you think it unimportant?”

He is angry now too, and frustrated by the lies and secrets of war. It seems like a child’s game of keepaway, and Xichen feels like an unwitting pawn. This time, he will not be used.

“You do not have to stay here, Guangyao. Mingjue will send you home in a week, and you can play maka from the comfort of Jinlin Tai. I will not endanger my family on your word, and…” He squares his shoulders, making a choice. “I will not sacrifice my own happiness for the Jin.”

“Then you have killed me as surely as if you speared me through the heart here and now. My father will not accept anything but success from his eldest son. I have no choice but to do whatever it takes. Whatever I must to be welcomed back home.” His tone has a vicious bite, but inexplicably, a tear slides down his cheek, and he turns away.

“Does inheriting the Jin clan mean so much to you?” Xichen asks. “You have another choice. You could choose to stay with people who care about you.” He ventures into deeper water. “You could choose to stay for Huaisang.”

Guangyao whirls on Xichen, bursting with unconcealed outrage. “How could you possibly understand? Your life in the Cloud Recesses was a dream, a sheltered fantasy. A family who loved you, a clan that respected you, a mother whose memory you were allowed to cherish? You have always had the privilege of your status and position, and you have never known what it was to fear for tomorrow.”

The words twist with venom in his mouth, and Xichen is stunned, taken aback by the accusations he doesn’t understand. They are both the privileged eldest sons of their fathers, both given away to buy peace. Of course he has known despair. Of course he has known fear. Yet, Guangyao’s fury is so raw, Xichen senses he’s missing something vital.

“I am as much a subordinate here as you are, and unlike you, I can never go home,” Xichen reminds him, and Guangyao’s brow furrows before he laughs, as brittle and bleak as the winds that shear through the camp.

“Are you truly that ignorant, Xichen? You are the edas ahora, the beloved husband of Ipira’orhew Ikira, and I assure you, he takes that definition seriously. Ahora’ipa is not a military title like Zewu-Jun, it is a bestowed honor, the acknowledgement of a relationship so dear it has a name. Did you think they were only words? That they meant nothing more than sound? Why would you want to go home, when clearly, your fortune here is never ending, aitapaho?”

He bites off the sentence with a jagged snap, turning the endearment into a curse. Xichen ignores both the spiteful words and the words that twist in painful hope. They’re only a distraction, he thinks, a veil to hide the truth. Until now, he hadn’t been sure, but Guangyao’s determination to hurt him, to turn his eyes away, has convinced him.

“Your fortune could be the same as mine, I suspect. Why can you not accept Huaisang’s affection as real?” Xichen touches the mark on Guangyao’s neck, the darkening love bite he recognizes. “Why can you not accept that your feelings matter too?”

Guangyao flushes and meets Xichen’s eyes. “Affection is a liability, Zewu-Jun.”

Xichen has to smile because finally, Guangyao has backed himself into a corner. “If that was true, you would be seducing Huaisang instead of me. I have no power here and no military knowledge. Could it be that you do not want to use him as I know you could?”

The only answer Xichen gets is an irate exhale, and in the silence, Xichen hears something that stops his heart.

The scream of fireworks in battle.

To be concluded in part 3!

[unicyclehippo]

lonely for beau again, sorry for the trauma lol

Meditation never comes easy but with practice it comes, at least. She settles into it like she does a new pair of boots; it pinches a little, discomfort making itself felt, and Beau wants to move and shift, wants to tap her feet against the constraint of all the stillness.

She forces herself to remain. To breathe. Concentrate past the discomfort to that moment where the energy running through her nerves doesn’t prickle and buzz anymore but hums instead.

There’s something she’s been wanting to try.

//

It takes a while to get to a point where all she has to do is breathe. Blink. Coat the inside of her eyelids with the depths of a blue sea. Her ki thrums with intent. She’s used sparks of it before to stun and feel the resonance of energy, of strengths and weaknesses, but she’s never experimented with it like this. But she’s far from any teachers right now and she has more than enough time on her hands and—if she’s being honest? She’s curious.

//

‘You want me to what?’

‘Talk, le Pual.’

‘Just...talk? Like I am right now to you?’ He seems confused by the very simple instructions and Beau barely—just fucking barely—holds back from dragging her hands down her face. It’s an expression of frustration, Fjord would say, and frustration looks terrifying on her.

She doesn’t want to terrify the guy. Just. Beau’s left eye twitches.

‘Marius.’

‘Oh no.’

‘Relax.’

‘Please don’t punch me.’

‘I’m not—I’m not going to punch you,’ she huffs, a little grit to the words, a little gravel. ‘Just - you know how to speak Sylvan, right?’

Marius slides from one extreme—cowering—to his other—primping. He drags long fingers through his swoop of hair and nods, tilts his head so the light streaming in the starboard porthole catches his eyes. ‘Wood elf on my mothers side. Taught me when I was younger—I practiced daily with a very handsome gentleman—’

‘I don’t need to know that. Better yet—if you really gotta tell me your life’s fuckin’ story, why don’t you do it in Sylvan?’ Beau clicks her fingers like she’s just thought of it and not told him to do exactly that a full five minutes ago.

Marius frowns. ‘But you won’t—ah. I see.’

Beau claps him on the shoulder. Shakes him the smallest bit. ‘Don’t look so upset. At least I’ll be listening.’

He tilts his head consideringly.

Beau sighs. ‘Five gold.’

‘Done!’ Marius palms the coins and counts them cheerfully into his purse. Turning back to the breakfast mush Caduceus had left for everyone on the stone, he ladles a few slops into a bowl and sits.

Beau joins him. Waves for him to begin. After a moments hesitation, Marius starts to talk between mouthfuls.

The language is strange. Beautiful. A trilling sing-song language that seems to rely heavily on tonal shifts, vowels dominating the words, very few harsh letters involved, and guttural sounds fewer still. There’s a curious trill-click Beau picks up on—a repeated word? Maybe indicating a question?—and the longer she thinks on it, curiosity ticking over in her mind, the more she pulls on the ki that buzzes to the forefront of her mind.

That clicking trill again! If only she could figure out what it meant. She pictures her mind—as clear and open as the sea, as full, as dangerous as the sea—and the unfamiliar words begin to sink beneath the surface.

‘—mother once lived in a village to the north—’

She loses it with the shock of clarity, the dual sensation of hearing one word and understanding the other. The immediacy of it, the volume, is nothing like learning a new language—she has learned several in her years, and even with Halfling she has to translate, has to hear a word and connect it to the meaning in her mind.

Hearing Marius now was not that.

Hearing Marius now was—impossible. Improbable. Incredible.

‘Did I...do something?’

Beau jerks, blinks out of the heavy frown she has levelled at Marius. ‘Huh?’

‘It’s just...you’re glaring at me.’

‘That’s just how my face is.’

Marius nods easily. ‘Unfortunate, that.’

‘You’re unfortunate. Fuck you.’ Beau slams up from the table. Before she can leave the mess, she slaps a hand on the doorframe, wheels back to face Marius, staring after her with mush dripping from his spoon. ‘Hey, thanks for doing that for me.’

He shrugs. ‘You paid me.’

‘I... Right.’

‘Did it help?’

Beau drums her fingers on the salt-crusted wood of the frame. Presses her lips flat, thoughtful. ‘Maybe.’

//

Gallan, their carpenter, knows a language that sounds like burbling water and either he’s just a good natured dude or he’s used to strange requests and he keeps up a one-sided conversation for long minutes as Beau listens. He tells her about the damage barnacles do to the bottom of ships, of reefs, of strange creatures like watery termites that bore holes into wooden planks. He tells her about whales and jellyfish and immense sharks the size of whales—not that he’s ever seen one so big but a friend of a friend, you understand—and mermaids prettier than anything with the most incredible voices and eyes like golden coins and that one can block their ears from ensorcellement with wax or cotton.

//

She doesn’t tell anyone. No one asks and it has always been Beau’s habit to keep her cards so close to her chest that even she can’t see them. Days pass and she hears Marius’s life story twice and knows more about ships than she ever needed to. And she learns, against her wishes, that even when she can understand when others talk, no matter the language they use, it doesn’t make her feel less lonely. If anything, it makes things a little more stark to hear the words and know that they were never intended for her.

[talatomaz]

darkness calls | audrey x queen of hearts!daughter!reader

a/n: based on d3. minor mentions of d1 and d2. audrey just needed someone to care for her

dt: @redhairedwolfwitch for doing great in her a-levels despite her thinking she would fail

warnings: angst. mentions of abuse

word count: 3.1k

masterlist | navigation | request rules

reader is the daughter of the queen of hearts and came to auradon alongside the core four and immediately hit it off with audrey

i do not give you permission to repost or translate my fics on any platform - likes/reblogs are okay and are much appreciated

“You will go there and you will retrieve all the gold they have. Understand?”

You sighed, now used to the screams of your mother since you’ve endured them from the moment you were born.

“Yes, your majesty.”

With that, you climbed into the limousine, following behind the other 4 VKs. You sat in the corner, isolating yourself, unconsciously tugging on your choker. Ignoring the arguing that ensued between Carlos and Jay and the conversation between Mal and Evie, you stared out of the window and took in the view.

Once crossing the barrier, it was as if something changed. It was different. You were...free.

Stepping outside of the limo, you inhaled in a deep breath of, for the first time ever, fresh air. It was weird. The air wasn’t polluted like it was back on the Isle. It felt clean. When you opened your eyes, you saw it looked clean as well. There was no dirt caking the streets or rubbish filling the floor.

As you took in your surroundings, you noticed, who you could only assume, was Prince Ben who had a girl hanging on his arm. Noticing you, she smiled. But it wasn’t a nice smile. It was kind of bitchy. You couldn’t help but smirk back.

She introduced herself as Audrey, the daughter of Aurora. And so you did the same.

“I’m Y/N. Daughter of the Queen of Hearts.” You spat out. Hating who your mother was.

Sensing that, Audrey blinked, confused, before Ben continued to speak.

“If you’ve got any questions-”

“Ask Doug.” She interrupted, causing you to smirk at her as she left.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

It went on like this for a while.

Audrey continued to be rude to you and you took it with a pinch of salt and gave it back as much as she did.

This little back and forth continued whilst Mal and the other VKs enacted their plan to steal Fairy Godmother’s wand but ultimately went against their parents’ orders and decided to stay on Auradon. It continued whilst you fought Uma and her pirate crew as they tried to infiltrate Auradon and bring down the barrier.

And it still continued when the core four began to migrate more VKs from the Isle. Including Celia, Drizzy, Squeaky and Squirmy. Children of Dr Facilier, Drizella and Smee, respectively.

But something began to change along the lines. The teasing became more...flirtatious. You both began to care about one another. The first major change in your relationship came about just after Mal became engaged to King Ben.

Whilst you were happy for the VK, you couldn’t help but glance over at Audrey, who looked like she was about to burst into tears at any second. After a few words were said between Audrey and Mal, the former stormed off and without thinking, you followed after her.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

Knocking softly on the door, you announced yourself and with a quiet “come in”, you entered.

Closing the door behind you, you noticed Audrey sobbing into her pillow, her multi-coloured hair cloaking her face.

Without missing a beat, you walked up to the princess and gathered her in your arms. She turned and clung to you, her shoulder wracking with sobs.

“How could he do this to me? How could he be with her? That-that bitch.” She spat out as your eyes widened at the curse.

Whilst you and many others on the Isle said foul words, you never expected “Miss Goody Too Shoes” to say something like that.

“She took everything from me. Now what am I meant to do? I was meant to be Queen. Just like my Grandmother told me to since I was a kid.”

You pulled her from your arms, causing her to stare up at you. Throughout her cries, you didn’t speak a word but what she said made you frown.

“What do you mean ‘like your Grandmother told you to’?”

“She said I was born to be Queen. That it was my birthright. My mother could keep a King in her sleep but yet, I can’t.”

“She said that? That’s ridiculous. She can’t compare you to your mother. That’s not right.” You said, surprised.

You always thought the parents here would be better. They’d care for their children, wouldn’t they?

“She says a lot of things. She even-oh my god, what happened to you?” She jumped up, her hand reaching out to touch your neck.

As if just now realising your neck was no longer covered, you moved your hair to shield it from the princess in front of you.

“It-It’s nothing.”

“Um, no, y/n. That is a nasty scar. How on Earth did you get that?”

You sighed, knowing she was not going to back down.

“I got it when I was back on the Isle.”

“Who did it? Another villain?”

You laughed bitterly, “you could say that. It was the Queen of Hearts.” You added causing Audrey to gasp loudly.

“Your mother did that?” She said in shock.

“She’s not my mother.” You snapped. “I’m sorry. Just-let it go, alright? It’s a sore subject.”

“No. I will not let it go. Why would your mother do that to you? You’re her child.”

“It was my fault. I spoke back to her when I shouldn’t have. And my mother always loved beheading people but my father made her compromise. At least it doesn’t hurt anymore.” You tentatively touched your neck, as if not believing your words.

“Unlike most of the kids on the Isle, like Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay, I had two parents. But that didn’t necessarily mean I was better off. My Mum’s tyrannical and my father’s weak. That combination is never a good thing.”

You whispered the last words, before falling silent, already having said too much.

“Y/N?” You met Audrey’s eyes when she placed her hand over yours.

“I-I’m sorry. I have to go.” You pulled your hand away and ran out of the room, tears spilling down your face.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

After your conversation with Audrey, you’d ran into the forest, wanting some time alone. Something which you never got back home on the Isle.

Everything you ever did was always what your mother wanted. As she used to say, all ways were her way. Even if it meant stealing from people with little to give or hurting those who angered your mother. Which was basically everyone.

As night fell and morning came, you ran through your memories in your mind until you were disturbed by the snapping of a twig.

Glancing down from the tree branch you were on, you saw a blue figure and immediately recognised the girl.

“What do you want, Evie?”

“We need your help.”

When you jumped down, Evie began explaining what had taken place over night. Including the fact that Audrey, one of the purest people you knew on Auradon, had seemingly turned evil and had consequently stolen the Queen’s crown and Maleficient’s sceptre. Even using it to turn Mal into an old hag.

You fought your laugh that would have spilled from your lips. Well, it wasn’t like Mal didn’t deserve it. She did steal Audrey’s boyfriend after all. Then Evie revealed the real reason for finding you.

She needed you to join the other VKs in their trip back to the Isle.

You outright refused, never wanting to step foot on that place again. If you accidentally ran into your mother...even the thought of it gave you chills. You had no doubt in your mind that she’d kill you; your father no longer able to stop her. You had seriously messed up. Even by your standards. You hadn’t done what she asked. You hadn’t given her all the gold on Auradon. But even worse than that, you remained in Auradon rather than going back to be with her. Yup, you would definitely going to be a goner the moment you went back.

And yet...you were still going to go back.

It was the right thing to do.

And if you had learned one thing on Auradon, it was to always do the right thing. The only reluctance on your part, aside from potentially seeing your mother, was the thought of leaving Audrey alone.

Yeah, she was doing really horrible things right now. But she still needs someone. And you hoped that someone would be you.

You never admitted it to yourself in the months prior, but you were learning to really care about Audrey and you could only hope she felt the same about you. Shaking your head, you focused on the mission in front of you. You had to get in and out of the Isle without alerting Hades or anyone else.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

Stepping foot over the barrier, now back in Auradon, similarly to when you first arrived, you took in your surroundings. Except this time, pink fog filled the air with people all around influenced by a sleeping curse concocted by Audrey and the spectre.

You were now joined by Uma and her crew who were currently fighting with Mal and the rest of the VKs about where Audrey might be. With all fairness, you did think Uma had the right idea of going to Audrey’s room but you still followed after Mal and the others as they went in pursuit to find Ben.

After defeating suits of armour, undoubtedly brought to life by Audrey, you all went to Audrey’s room where you currently stood, looking out the window, as Uma read through her diary.

You didn’t want any part in invading her privacy so you detached yourself as much as you could before being interrupted from your thoughts by Uma calling your name.

“You’re in this diary, girl.”

“What?”

You turned on your heel and stared at the sea witch.

Uma opened up the diary and began reading.

“‘How am I meant to face my Grandmother? God, it’s not right. It’s like y/n said: She shouldn’t treat me like this. Poor y/n. We finally had a real conversation today. She told me about her mother and what she used to do to her. I know she only told me because I saw her scar and if I hadn’t, then she probably never would have revealed what happened on the Isle. I always wondered why she wore those chokers. Now I know. God. Sometimes I physically hurt for her. She’s really had a bad life and I just hope she’s doing better here. She actually has people who care about her here.’”

“That’s enough, Uma.”

Mal ordered and the former stopped speaking as everyone stared at you in silence. Growing uncomfortable under their strong gazes, you cleared your throat and left the room despite the shouts from the others.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

You walked through the courtyard, once again left alone with your thoughts, Uma’s words ringing in your head. Was it true? Did Audrey really care about you? You jumped, startled when you heard an evil laugh come from above.

Your neck craned upwards, following the sound, catching a glimpse of purple. Mal?

You ran up the stairs and stilled when you saw a figure hunched over Celia’s small form.

“Audrey?”

She turned and you blinked, taking in her appearance. She looked, suffice it to say, different. Her pink hair now replaced with purple and topped with a crown and her pink clothes now changed into a black and purple outfit.

“Wow.” You murmured. She looked...powerful.

“Y/N?” Both Celia and Audrey shouted.

“Audrey, let Celia go.”

“Ha, no. I no longer do what anyone else wants. I do what is best for me.”

“Audrey, what is best for you is letting Celia go and taking me instead. Don’t do something you’ll regret. Please.”

Relenting, Audrey signalled for Celia to go and she ran past you and down the stairs as you walked up to the princess.

“Audrey-”

“No! Don’t you dare say I don’t know what I’m doing.”

You flinched at her sharp tone, never seeing this side of her before.

“I-I was just going to ask whether you were okay?”

“What?”

“I’m not going to persuade you to stop. In fact, I completely understand. I’ve been where you are.”

“Is that so?” She sneered.

“Yes, Audrey. I’ve been knocked down so many times. So many times. By my mother. My father. Other people on the Isle. Even here. People here pretend to accept you but I see how they freeze when I get up. Or when I sneeze or cough. They think I’m going to lash out any point. I mean, I don’t blame them. They don’t know I’m not my mother’s daughter. Except you.”

That seemed to catch her attention as she looked up to meet your eyes.

“From the first moment I stepped off that limo, I was captivated by you. You were witty and snarky but not in a bad way. You teased and remarked but I knew it was all in good fun. For once, I felt like-like I had something worth living for. You, Audrey. You are worth living for.”

“No I’m not. Besides everyone hates me now.”

“I don’t. I’m standing with you right now, in spite of that. You’re not good, Audrey. But you’re not evil either.”

“Then what am I?”

She sounded so lost and broken. Damn you, Queen Leah for breaking this girl’s self-esteem.

“You’re Audrey. You’re smart. Beautiful. Hell, you’re powerful. You are so much more than just someone betrothed to a King.” You said, tears spilling from your eyes.

“What am I meant to do now?”

You grabbed her hand and held it to your heart.

“You need to remember one thing. Holding anger is like poison. It eats you from the inside out. Anger is a weapon that can be used against others but hatred? The harm it causes? It does much more to ourselves than our enemies.”

She nodded slowly, taking in your words and moved closer to you and placed a hand on your cheek.

“How are you so wise and kind after everything that’s happened to you?”

You smirked, leaning into the feel of her warm hand on you.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’ve just never had someone call me kind before. People just assume I’m as heartless as my mother.”

“I’ve never met anyone with a bigger heart than you, y/n.” She whispered, her face even close to yours. You smiled, tears filling your eyes once again.

As you were about to respond, you were both knocked to the ground and stared up to see a dragon in the sky. Mal.

Audrey huffed and grabbed the sceptre and began using it against the dragon.

“Mal, stop! Please!” You shouted.

Then you gasped when you saw the ember glow blue in her claws as Mal combined her power with Uma’s shell to reignite the ember to use against Audrey and the sceptre. You had a split second to push Audrey to the floor, shielding her from the blast that ensued from the destruction of the sceptre.

You collapsed to the floor, the shouts of your name fading away as you were engulfed in darkness.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

“I’m sorry, your majesty. Please forgive me.” You sobbed on the floor, shielding yourself from your mother.

“Get up, you stupid child!” She ordered and when you remained on the floor, she grabbed you by the neck and held you.

Her hands around your neck, she continued shouting at you.

“I should behead you for your treason.”

“My Queen. Maybe you should allow her a chance to explain herself and then to redeem herself.”

Your father said. Your mother heeded his words, squeezing your neck one final time before releasing you as you collapsed back on the ground, coughing profusely.

“Y/N.”

Your eyes narrowed. That voice didn’t belong to your mother nor your father.

“Please wake up. I need you to open your eyes, honey.”

Audrey?

You shot up and opened your eyes, adjusting to the room. You were no longer back at the Isle, instead, you were sat in Audrey’s room which was filled to the brim with people.

Clutching your throat, you looked around before noticing Audrey who moved quickly beside you.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe.” She soothed, wrapping her arms around you, not caring that her Grandmother was watching her every move.

“What happened?” You asked, making no move to leave Audrey’s arms.

After Audrey and Mal explained the events that followed after you being knocked unconscious, including the fact that Hades revived you, everyone left allowing you and Audrey to be alone.

“I’m so sorry, Audrey.” You said, breaking the silence.

“You’re sorry? I’m sorry.”

“I keep thinking if I never left you alone after what we talked about yesterday then maybe this never would have happened.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine and mine alone. You were right. I should never have held onto the hatred that I had for Mal and Ben. And I shouldn’t have reacted in the way that I did.”

You said nothing, knowing she was right.

“I still stand by earlier point though.”

Confused, you glanced up to meet Audrey’s eyes.

“You do have the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met.”

Tears threatened to spill your eyes before you forced them back down.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you, y/n. For being there when I needed you. And I want you to know I’m here for you too.”

“I know. I mean, earlier, everyone wanted to find out where you were and even though I begged them not to, they read your diary and then Uma told me what you wrote about me.”

You closed your eyes, ready to take on any blow Audrey was about to give. Instead, she sighed and lifted your chin with her fingers, forcing you to face her.

“As much as I hate that they did that, it was the right thing for them to do. And I need you to know that I meant every word I wrote. I hope you are doing better here because you do have people who care about you. I care about you.”

“Oh really? If you did, how come Hades had to wake me up? I would have thought you would have pulled a Prince Phillip and woken me with True Love’s Kiss.” You teased, intending Audrey to laugh. But she didn’t. She just stared at you, her eyes dark and focused.

“You’re right.”

Then she leaned in, drawing you close to her and placed her lips on yours. When you both pulled away, the feeling of her on your lips lingered.

Smirking, she spoke,

“How’s that for a True Love’s Kiss?”

[atamascolily]

An Appointment in Sawarra, 9/?

In which Luke is sorely vexed.

(previously: one two three four five, six seven eight)

The official reason they wouldn't let him fly the X-wing through the Ring--their name for the neutron star cluster--was safety, though Luke suspected security and paranoia were equal concerns. His brain turned to mush from the interminable paperwork, Luke met this turn of unexpected turn of events with as much grace as he could muster.

It wasn't as if he had much in the way of luggage--just the simple rucksack he'd packed with a few changes of clothes, back when he'd thought this would be a simple trip out and back again. He should have known it wasn't going to work out that way.

<i>"I have a feeling you may be gone longer than you think,</i> Mara had said back on Coruscant. Her hunch had been spot-on. Luke was starting to get the same feeling--though like her, he wasn't sure whether it was good or bad yet.

If Karrde's contact could help him with the uneti seeds, all of this would be worth it. If not--well, he'd been on wild bantha chases on much less cause. And perhaps he could use the time in transit to learn more about his mysterious hosts.

The journey through the Ring was uneventful to the point of boring. In theory, Luke was allowed the run of the transport. In practice, they treated him as a bizarre cross between an honored guest and a poltical prisoner, and he didn't understand why.

Luke's attempts to coax out information out of the rank and file proved fruitless. The crew pretended that he wasn't there, with no eye contact or acknowledgement of his presence unless he spoke to them directly. Even then, they were curt almost to the point of rudeness, reverting to cursory nods or gestures whenever possible. Despite the translator box looped prominently around Luke's wrist, they refused to speak anything but simple Basic in his presence, making conversation about anything more complex than the direction to the 'fresher impossible.  

Eventually, he gave up and retreated to his assigned quarters for the remainder of the journey. The room was simple and spartan, the only spots of color a holographic image of a flower arrangement and calligraphy scroll on the shelf over the bed. Luke didn't recognize any of the flowers, and the translator was voice-only, leaving him effectively illiterate--an oversight, he realized now. He sat cross-legged on the bed and tried to meditate, but he couldn't let go of the thoughts swirling around his head.  

Why had the authorities let him enter Sawarran space if they clearly didn't want him? Either they weren't as xenohobic as Leia and Winter had claimed, or they had mellowed considerably since throwing off the Empire and declaring their independence. Neither of those explanations fit the evidence. Why, then, had they made an exception for him? Because he was a Jedi?

Luke had grown used to people treating him differently once they learned he was a Jedi--sometimes with awe and reverence, sometimes with gestures to ward off the evil eye. The customs agents been intrigued, but not impressed, by Luke's lightsaber and his claimed occupation. It was his connection to Yoda, of all people--a direct, tangible connection, as teacher and student--that had captured their attention.

What was Yoda to these people? And, more importantly, <i>why</i>?  

Their arrival in Ri'tarn City a few hours after local dawn was routine to the point of anticlimax. Luke didn't know what he'd expected--a parade? a riot? another horde of bureaucrats?--but there was nothing and no one waiting for him at the docking bay. He was escorted politely but firmly off the ship by the crew and abandoned outside in the bustling street.

"Hey!" Luke shouted at their rapidly retreating figures. "What am I supposed to do now?"

The leader turned back long enough to shrug and gestured off to the side. "Temple that way," he said in Basic, and hastened off after the rest of his squad.

Luke stared, blinking in the morning sunlight, as the crowd bustled around him on the cobbled street past elegant wooden townhouses with open-air shops on the lower levels. They'd let him come here, to a place where foreigners were never supposed to come... and now they were letting him wander around unsupervised?

Then again, he thought, taking in the dark skin and voluminous, colorful robes in the press of people around him, maybe the authorities didn't need to hold his hand to track his movements. Between his pallor and his tightly cut clothing, he stood out like a Wookiee at a Jawa family reunion.

He was relieved and confused to be left to his own devices so abruptly---and, he had to admit, more than a little insulted. He'd been prepared for anything--except, apparently, total indifference. No one in the bustling street was paying the slightest bit of attention to him, the crowd parting around him like a crowd of Coruscanti swoop-bike racers around a cloudcutter.

That, too, was unnerving.

He was alone on a strange planet outside the New Republic's jurisdiction--and, thanks to the pulsars of the Ring, no means to contact anyone on the outside should things go sideways, except through the Force.

Thankfully, <i>that</i> still worked. He could probably reach Leia in a pinch if he violated some taboo by mistake, though she wouldn't thank him if he ended up triggering an intergalactic incident.

<i>Why am I here? What do THEY think I'm supposed to do?</i>

<i>Pay your respects</i>, the head customs agent had said.

"My respects to what?" Luke said aloud. "Yoda is <i>dead</i>. How does this even make <i>sense</i>?"

The crew's mention of a temple intrigued him. Perhaps there were answers waiting for him there. But that wasn't why he was here. He needed to find Dr. Mendoza at the university and ask her about the seeds. Maybe she could help with the other mysteries, too.

But he had to find her first.

***

Luke had assumed it would be easy enough to locate the university with the address Karrde had given him, but it quickly became clear that Ri'tarn City, like everything else in this system, was determined to make even simple tasks an ordeal. Whatever rhyme, reason or logic underlay the streets was nothing like standard grid/level system for ships, stations, and Coruscanti high-rises. Signs were few and far between, not that he could read them anyway.

Meanwhile, the inhabitants seemed intent on thwarting his efforts through sheer indifference. As with the transport crew, none of them would acknowledge his presence unless Luke forced them to. Even then, they refused to meet his eyes or say much beyond the simplest gestures when he asked for directions. Even the wooden seal representing his visa didn't impress them.

The only exception to the general impassivity were the children, who stared openly as he passed, pointing in his direction and giggling among themselves, only to flee if Luke approached them. The contrast between the stoic adults and their offspring made the former's stoic unconcern even eerier.

The sun inched its way across the sky overhead, bright and hot as he wended his way through the streets, increasingly lost and confused. He was thirsty, but there was no sign of water anywhere, and none of the shops he passed would serve him.

A high, piercing alien cry came from overhead. Luke looked up to see feathery lizards gliding overhead, a welcome breeze breaking the heat with a distinctive salt tang. Was it his imagination, or were those ocean waves in the distance?

Out of ideas, he wended his way in the direction of the flying lizards, hoping it would somehow get him to the university. The docks didn't seem like the typical site for an institution of higher learning, but maybe the Sawarrans did things differently here. Either that, or the entire population was in on some big joke they weren't going to share with Luke.

He came around the corner to find himself on the edge of a stark, man-made seawall a dozen meters above the bay--or would be a bay if there were any water in it. A bare tidal flat stretched to the horizon in an endless expanse of sand, a mockery to his hopes. There was no sign of anything even remotely approaching a university, only crabs skulking in and out of their burrows as they dodged the attentions of flocks of hungry lizards wheeling and diving from above.

"Maybe I should have gone to the temple after all," Luke said, to no one in particular, slumping against the wall.

He was tired and thirsty, light-years from home on a strange planet where no one would meet his eyes, let alone talk to him. He'd been here for hours there was no sign of Karrde's contact, and now he was faced with yet another dead end. <i>How did I get into this mess?</i> he wondered, not for the first time.  

He hadn't been this off-balance since--since his first trip to Dagobah, actually. <i>Maybe that's why they like Yoda so much</i>, Luke thought sourly. <i>Or maybe they're testing me, the way Yoda tested me at first?</i>

<i>I failed that test back then. I won't fail this one, too.</i>

He had to be missing something, something obvious.

He leaned against the sea wall, and stared out into the distance, struggling to calm his racing thoughts. <i>Think. Think. Think. There's got to be some sort of key. What am I missing here?</i>

Something shimmered on the edge of the horizon.

<i>Wait.</i>

It wasn't his imagination. There was a tower rising out of the tidal flat, with what looked to be a small city at its base, far enough away that he hadn't noticed it on first glance.

There were no signs at this distance, of course, but Luke <i>knew</i> what he was looking at. It was the university. Had to be. What <i>else?</i> could it be?

He squinted. There was no bridge or road leading to the tower from the mainland. The buildings rose out of the sand, shimmering like a desert mirage in the afternoon heat, completely disconnected from the mainland.

"You have got to be kidding me," Luke said in dismay.

It made a weird kind of sense, though. Who needed roads when you had speeders? Or, when the tide was in, boats.

Luke scanned his surroundings. He was alone on the sea wall, the wind whipping through his hair, lacking both a speeder and a boat. The only way he was going to get out to that hazy tower on the horizon was under his own power.

This was stupid and crazy and pointless, and he ought to just give up and go home, but it was too late for that. He'd come this far.

But he'd done plenty of stupid things over the course of his life, both before and after joining the Rebellion. And at least this time, nobody was shooting at him.

"All right, then," Luke sighed. "I guess I'm doing this."

He stripped off his boots and socks, and stuffed them into his rucksack, wishing he'd brought a hat to protect himself from the broiling sun. Then he jumped down onto the tidal flat, landed with a roll, and set off barefoot across the sandy expanse towards the tower.

[davewakeman]

Talking Tickets: 17 April 2020--Refunds! Restarts! Support! And, More!

Hey! 

Thanks for being here again this week. If you are enjoying this newsletter, tell your friends and colleagues to sign up by visiting this link.

How is everyone holding up out there?

If you need someone to chat with, let me know. I’m here for you if you need a proper chat as my friend, Cat, would say.

I made a typing error about the strategy webinar. It is going on this coming Tuesday.

Have a few minutes and want to grab a drink? We may not be able to have a drink in person just yet, but we can have a virtual happy hour. Join me and Ken Troupe for what is becoming a Friday tradition for happy hour with sports business folks at 5 PM EDT.

If you are interested, we’ve got a nice Slack community with folks from around the world and all areas of the industry, exchanging ideas, connecting, and thinking about the future of their businesses.

I’ll share a bunch of links to resources and other places to connect in the newsletter.

Hopefully, I’m able to strike a proper balance for all of you…between, “Wow! This is nuts!” and “We will get through this.”

To the tickets!

————————————————————————————————————

1. When will events return? No one knows but we are learning more:

Dr. Zeke Emmamuel says he doesn’t see large scale events coming back until the fall of 2021.

Shane Harmon, CEO of Sky Stadium in New Zealand shared some interesting information from his government on when restrictions might start to be loosened and things can begin to normalize a little. Patron Base also put together a nice resource guide for their customers that y’all may find useful.

In Europe, the UK is preparing for 3 additional weeks of stay-at-home orders, pushing the opening of events back a bit further.

In the US, we still have no clear strategy for what reopening will look like, what we should expect, and how we will start to regain any sense of normalcy.

We do have a reopening panel and we do have a desire to reopen events, but, again, unfortunately, no clear direction.

I think we all have to try and take a balanced approach to our expectations here. First, we have the economic factor and that’s impacting all of us here immensely. Second, we have to deal with the safety concerns of the population and recognize that liability will drive a lot of the decision making process. Finally, never lose sight of the impact of fear and emotionally driven decision making on mass society. As quickly as people are gung ho to get back to ballparks, if an outbreak happens that was accelerated by a ballgame and that link is made, that could do more long-term damage than anything that has happened to this point.

Because, unfortunately, none of us really know the right answer here.

But I am hopeful after seeing the PGA Tour aim for June and the Australian Football League talking about July. 

2. The economic impact of these shutdowns becomes more and more apparent:

Baseball America wrote up a piece on why fan free games aren’t going to make sense for MiLB and what not playing in 2020 would mean for minor league baseball going forward.

The economic challenges are going to be felt all over. Colleges are likely going to be put in a position to cut sports like the University of Cincinnati did with soccer this week.

As a holistic thing, Research and Markets put together a report this week that tries and cover everything about the entertainment industry and the impact of the virus on folks.

Like a lot of stuff, the analysis and the information coming out from reputable sources needs to be parsed with for context and when you see anyone tell you something is all or nothing…take that with a grain of salt.

Bill Sutton tweeted out a call for teams to get on the virtual season tickets now and over the years I’ve been calling for folks to think more seriously about their membership model, their email lists, and how they are developing their global fan bases.

Harry DeMott from Ticket Evolution wrote up a good piece on restoring liquidity to the ticketing ecosystem as I was finishing this up that is worth a read.

Whatever position you find yourself in right now, your strategy going forward is going to be more important than ever. And, if doing things the way we’ve always done things is a bad idea in the best of times, right now it is a really bad idea to settle for that answer.

3. StubHub, refunds, cancellations, and more continue to make the news: 

The regulators in the UK continue to look into the merger between Viagogo and StubHub. And, as was mentioned in the press this week, “worst timed acquisition ever“?

Vivid Seats did announce their refund and exchange policy this week and it looks a lot different than Ticketmaster’s or StubHub’s.

AEG is offering a 30-day window for fans to get refunds and once a new date is announced, fans will get another 30 days.

While many of us have focused a lot of our attention on the platforms and technology companies, the same uncertainty is trickling into other areas with college football programs feeling the pinch because of the compromised place they find themselves.

Let’s be real here, college programs are only feeling the pinch now because most of them had the earliest deadlines…at a certain point, this is going to be a refrain that all of us are going to hear. Again, it goes back to the point above…we need clarity, information, and guidance on what the next several months look like before folks are really going to feel comfortable doing much of the stuff that we consider normal.

Leadership 101 stuff.

4. How are you connecting with your fans and customers during the pandemic?

Over the last few weeks, I’ve highlighted some really cool examples of using assets, content, and ideas to connect with folks.

The link above is from my friend, Blair Hughes, down in Brisbane. He’s been focusing on fan engagement since 2013 and he updated his resource guides this week to include a few new ideas that will work even when you are socially distanced from your fans.

The Indianapolis Indians were lauded by the governor. The Red Sox dropped coloring sheets. There are tons of free videos and performances from organizations all over the world. 

I’ve struggled with this a little bit because what do you offer folks when there is so much uncertainty. My path has been to continue to figure out how to add value and share ideas with folks. (To be fair, it is selfish as well because focusing on others helps me overcome the gaping void of being an entirely inadequate 4th-grade teacher and helps keep some of those negative thought processes at bay.)

But what are you doing to connect with folks now? Let me know and I can try and highlight some of these ideas as well.

5. The ticketing industry is doing a lot of stuff to help everyone weather this crisis together: 

This week INTIX announced a relief fund, the INTIX Member Covid-19 Relief Fund. 100% of funds will go to member assistance to help members of the ticket community bridge the economic gap while we wait out the pandemic.

Any gift matters, even $1.

As Maureen says that all folks want to do is help and I agree. So if you can, support this effort.

On top of the relief fund, Maureen and her team are hosting a weekly Zoom call on Wednesdays at 12 PM EDT. Anyone can join, no matter if you are a member or not. This week’s had over 200 folks.

The ALSD has a list of resources and ways for folks to learn and connect during the pandemic.

Global Citizen has put together the Live Aid of the Covid-19 crisis for tomorrow, 18 April.

Crew Nation is Live Nation’s effort to help the crews that make the shows happen. The Arts Council in the UK is also working to help freelancers and other folks impacted by the shutdowns. Theatre Support as well.  Indie venues band together to form a group to lobby congress for support of the industry.

While it isn’t about giving any money to support folks, MLS put up a training site so folks can keep their soccer skills fresh during the social distancing. And, if you have a young kid, this is likely enough to make you weep.

This is on top of all the other things I’ve highlighted over the last few weeks. If you or your organization are doing something to help folks, let me know and I will highlight it and share it here and with my community as well.

As I finish this up, I love when folks run and do challenges in their local communities…so I saw this one from Rob Sibbitts in Atlanta and he has completed his challenge…but maybe we can convince him to run another race for a local nonprofit.

My buddy, Greg Turner, who lives outside of Hong Kong just translated a report for anyone that is interested in learning more about the Chinese market for arts and entertainment. It doesn’t fit into the weathering the crisis theme, but it does give you something new to explore and since China is slowly starting to return to normal activities could give you some food for thought about what to think about in all of your home markets.

—————————————————————————————————————-

What am I up to this week?

Guess what? I’m still at home! I am doing the webinar that is listed at the top and I’m starting to drop new content on the podcast feed.

Want to chat? Let me know. Between my duties as an awful elementary school teacher, I’ve got plenty of time and will to chat. And, I’m happy to be here if someone needs someone to talk with. 

Please follow and like us:

Talking Tickets: 17 April 2020–Refunds! Restarts! Support! And, More! was originally published on Wakeman Consulting Group

[princessconsuelapark]

So why did our favourite French Kings split ?? I mean ok they won everything they could win together but still. 🙈🙈🙈

Oh boy. Are we sure, we wanna go there ? 🙈 Well then. There's definitely not as much information out there, as I'd like, because as usual people sleep on doubles tennis but. (This might get long, I am so sorry ❤️)

Basically after winning their Career Grand Slam, Pierre kinda thought, hey, maybe I could do this on my own too, how neat would that be? And let's admit, it's not exactly unusual or weird for a doubles player to want to try themselves at singles (not everyone can be as sensible as Jamie Murray, who at age 20 was like... nah, I'm good, thanks), especially, I feel like Pierre being 28, he maybe feels like he's got something to prove, maybe panic setting in that he's not achieved everything just yet. And it's not like he's not good at tennis, right? And then the age difference comes in, because Nico's had his shot at singles, I mean he still plays, but he was once in the top 40, has 4 titles, made himself a household name, played The Longest Tennis Match of All Time (can't believe that was 9 years ago ??? I remember it like it was yesterday ???), so you know. He's been there, done that, and I feel like, he's found his place now, he's fully focused on doubles.

In theory everything was going okay until Wimbledon. Pierre wanted to focus on singles for a bit, the plan was to reunite for the American hardcourt season, so Nico went and got himself different partners to play with (the reason they are so far apart in the rankings just now: Nico at no. 6 Pierre at 18). It's not that weird for players to switch up their doubles partners a lot either, there are hardly any proper consistent teams that have been together for more than a few years, apart from the Bryan twins (although when Bob was off injured Mike was winning slams all over the place with what's-his-face wasn't he), the Columbian lads who grew up together and seem weirdly co-dependent, and Marcelo and Lukasz of course, but they are in love, so. I mean how good were Jamie and Bruno together, and then one day they just thought, you know, time to move on. I think it's very easy to get complacent if you always play with the same person, your game doesn't necessarily improve that way ?

Anyway, so Pierre was gonna go and do singles for a bit, and he is not half bad at it by the way (got very close to winning some titles, career high of no. 36 which is already two places better than Nico, and he's still in the top 50 just now !), and Nico was gonna play doubles with other people. All peachy.

Oh, but then. Sir Andy Murray happened. And look, this is where things get murky, because the media was so focused on Andy's comeback, we could hardly hear any of the actual details of this whole thing over the wild British chanting and shouting about hip surgeries and whatnot. This is what we know: Andy's team approached Pierre, asking if he'd be interested in playing doubles with him in Wimbledon, and I mean, obviously they knew he was without a partner, because he wasn't planning on playing at all, but make of that what you will.

Here's how Pierre explained it in L'Equipe:

"Delgado came to me in Madrid. Andy was thinking about coming back in doubles. After French Open, Delgado called me. I didn't plan on playing doubles there but I said to myself it would be an unforgettable experience"

Since I was a kid, I have been dreaming of big courts, crazy atmospheres. Playing with Murray, on his come-back, it's huge. Could be something unforgettable. He can teach me things. He's from the famous Big 4, these guys are monsters. He's on court to win"

It's safe to say that it's not the cleanest move (for Nicolas Mahut, his usual partner). I will play doubles when I said I wouldn't. But it is exceptional to play with Murray at Wimbledon. Nico knows the feeling for having played with Federer in Brisbane"

He kind of brings me into his world. I've known moments of pressure in Davis Cup; he lives it all year long. Everytime he moves there's 50 reporters waiting for him to say something. He just wants to have fun. He's so happy to play tennis again"

And I'm not saying his reasoning is not valid. He definitely got his 15 minutes of fame out of it, I am absolutely certain he gained A LOT more fans through playing two matches with Andy in Wimbledon than from bloody winning a doubles Career Grand Slam. So, I sort of understand. This was definitely a great opportunity for him, and it is very frustrating when people do go out of their way to pretend doubles tennis doesn't exist, so you know. But then you think about Nico's side of things, and I mean. Fuck.

Nico was of course trying to be an adult about it, but we have no clue what kind of stuff went on behind the scenes:

"I have zero desire to comment this choice. He knows how I feel about it, I had a talk with him and I don't want to say anything else."

Yikes.

Anyway, obviously we all know what happened then, Andy and Pierre managed to get all the way to round fucking 2, then flopped miserably. It must have been quite vindicating for Nico to get to the final with Edouard hah.

I seem to remember Pierre also saying something cute about how he doesn't think his decision to play with Andy will affect their team, but let me try and dig up the actual quote hang on 🙈

Here it is asdfghjk (I translated this from French, so take the phrasing with a pinch of salt):

"On my side, it will not have any [impact on their doubles team], we'll see on his side, how he saw it. I do not feel that he had necessarily lived it very well, but I don't think that it will have an impact"

Oh Pierre.

Anyway, they seem to have bounced back from all this now, and this is why it was so interesting to see them play again at that first match (and a few weeks before that when Nico and Edouard were playing the Murray brothers in Washington asdfghjk, nothing actually happened, but it was certainly fun), but there doesn't seem to be any animosity between them at all. They were very chatty and cute at all their matches in the run up to the US Open, so hopefully it's all settled now.

And I mean, I certainly hope they are done messing about. Nico never made it through the qualies, and Pierre lost in R1 yesterday, but here's to another USO doubles win !! 🤞

[marvelhead17]

Miracle (Original Female Character x Cable Fic)

Chapter 15

Summary: “How did you fix it?” he asked. “Ask Ellen the Teenage Warhead,” Wade shrugged as he stood up, “As for baby Hitler he ended up having a diaper change, funny story I was actually going to call Cable since he was so keen on killing Russel, I thought this would be like taking candy from a baby, if that means replacing it with a bullet that is,”

 Warnings to cover the whole fic: Graphic depictions of violence, use of weapons, mild to strong language, mentions of rape, mentions of pregnancy and miscarriage, referenced torture and psychological abuse/manipulation, nightmares and night terrors, sexual humour, sexual content.

Word Count: 1.9k

They finally reached his room and Hayden lowered Nathan to rest on his bed, he was embarrassed by having to need help to his room, she had left and then returned holding a small bottle in her hands. She popped it open and held a couple of pills in her hand before handing Nathan the glass of water next to his bed and two pills.

“Take these for the pain, they should kick in within an hour, but you should still try to rest. You’ll heal a lot faster when your body is focusing its attention on the injury,”

“Thanks,” he grumbled before swallowing the pills down with the water. She nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

He moved his head back and closed his eyes slowly, breathing out and concentrating on relaxing, he had no idea how tired he actually was until that moment and sleep took over him instantly.

                                                            * * *

 “I didn’t think your computer would be very accurate but it actually works very well,” Hayden said as she read through the results on the papers.

“We have many impressive things in X Mansion, only problem is computer cannot design suit to your personal preferences, only give materials we need to create it. So I will help in creating design with you,” said Colossus, she raised an eyebrow at him. “I am decent at drawing.” He shrugged.

“He’s being modest, he’s crazy good,” Ellie spoke up and then she took the papers from Hayden and riffled through them, “Colossus you should start working on the design, I’ll search for where we can get the materials.”

The metal man nodded and guided Hayden out the room, following behind her.

                                                          * * *

  Three Hours Later

Nathan opened his eyes and sat up groggily, he’d been asleep for nearly two hours, the pills had done their job and the throbbing pain from earlier had ceased for now.

He swung his legs over the bed to the floor and stood up slowly, he wasn’t fully awake yet but he wanted to see what was happening with the others. He washed his face and quickly dabbed it with a towel before heading downstairs feeling a little more awake.

It took him fifteen minutes to finally find them, he heard Hayden laughing and peaked around the frame to see her sitting next to Colossus who had a sketchpad in front of him and was sketching, he felt a twinge of jealousy pop into his mind as her hand touched Colossus lightly on his broad metallic shoulder and he shook his head ignoring his inner thoughts.

  “Hey, you’re up!” her smile grew as she noticed Nathan standing at the door; he walked in and came nearer to the table they were seated around.

“Yeah, what’s going on?” he looked around at the scattered crumpled papers, pencil shavings and for some reason, crayons.

He was surprised that Colossus had not tidied the mess up until he realised most of the chaos surrounded Wade who had seated himself happily on top of the table like a naughty child, his legs crossed with a sketchpad rested on his lap as he drew in silence.

“We’re designing my suit,” she said with a note of eagerness.

“I’m helping!” Wade said like an excited little boy, Hayden shook her head and mouthed ‘He’s not’ which made Nathan smirk. “See, I’m already done, Colossus is so slow. Take a look, its awesome right?” he asked.

She took the sketchbook Wade had drawn in and looked over the picture, her smile turned to a frown quickly and she threw the sketchbook at Wade, he barely dodged it and it landed open on the drawing he’d done onto the table in front of Colossus.

  “Wade, you’re disgusting. And also what universe are you from where you think you of all people would see me wearing that of all things?” she crossed her arms.

Nathan glanced down and saw a childlike drawing of a sexy female form wearing what looked like the skimpiest lingerie possible.

“You’re a pig Wade,” Nathan scrunched his nose.

“Da,” Colossus agreed after seeing the sketch and covering his eyes.

“Everyone’s a critic,” Wade sighed and grabbed the sketchbook, “I won’t sit here and take this any longer!” he awkwardly stumbled from his position on the table and then stood up dramatically.

“Where are you going?” Hayden asked.

“I’m going to have a meeting with Cinnamon about how rude you all are,” Wade said and Nathan rolled his eyes.

“Translation: You’re off to masturbate.”

“It’s sad that you know me that well,” Wade shook his head, “Oh well, you’re stuck with me, forever.” He whispered the last part.

                                “I’m still waiting for the day where I can convince myself that saving his ass was a good idea,” Nathan sighed.

“That would be an eternity, and then some,” she nodded her head sideways.

“It is ready.” Colossus suddenly spoke; he moved his sketchbook in front of Hayden.

“Wow, Colossus it’s great. Thank you,” she gave him a side hug, Nathan felt his eye twitch involuntarily. “I’m going to show Ellie so that we can get the right colours for the materials,” she bounced off her seat with the sketchbook in hand and bounded out the door.

Nathan’s voice went deeper than usual as he spoke, “Why are you always so nice to her, huh?”

“I’m sorry?” he asked feeling genuinely confused, “I am nice to everyone.”

“Well stop being so nice to her, or we’re going to have a problem,” he warned before leaving the room.

“Bozhe moy. What did I do wrong?” Colossus asked himself.

                                                           * * *

  Back in the Rec Room

“I’m glad we’ve sorted all that out, thanks for this Ellie.” She smiled and the girl simply nodded, “Um, I’m not sure where Colossus disappeared to, but could you thank him for me?”

She nodded, “Sure,”

“HAYDES, we have a situation so drop whatever the fuck you’re doing this is more important-” Wade came running inside, panting heavily.

“What is it now Wade?” she turned to him.

“I fucked up big time,”

“Um, don’t you always?”

“Wow, just rub salt in the wound it’s fine I have regenerative healing, right? But seriously just-” he stopped speaking when he noticed Ellie.

“I’m leaving Douchepool, whatever you broke now is not my problem,” she rolled her eyes and left the room.

Wade looked around the room and pulled Hayden closer to him, “Cable’s going to kill me.”

  “You actually messed around with it when I told you it was a bad idea?” she pinched the bridge of her nose, “God Wade, do you only have two brain cells? I swear if you do, one bounces around idly in there while the other masturbates in a dark corner with a unicorn.”

“Pretty much yeah,” he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders, “I can’t help myself.”

She slapped the back of his head, “You’re an idiot.” He rubbed the back of his head.

“Save my sorry ass? Please?” Wade asked trying to give the biggest sad eyes he could muster.

“Fine, where is it?” she sighed.

“Has anybody seen my gun, Hades, Dickhead?” Nathan asked suddenly appearing from around the corner.

“Shit fuck,” Wade then whispered, “He knows.”

She spoke quietly to him, “Wade, would you relax?” she turned back to Nathan, “Nope, we haven’t seen your gun Cable, you sure you didn’t leave it back in the weaponry when you were cleaning it the other day?” she asked in a convincing innocence.

  “Yeah I guess so, I’ll check again,” he rubbed his head and frowned thinking it over in his head; Wade took the opportunity to run out the door leading to the nearby woods outside.

“SHIT FUCK, SHIT FUCK, SHIT FUCK, SHIT FUCK,”

“What’s the tool’s problem now?” Nathan frowned.

“I think the only two brain cells he had left just killed themselves,” she shook her head, Nathan chuckled.

“I’ll see you around,” he nodded before he left the room.

  She ran out in the direction that Wade had gone to, debris from destroyed trees lay all around the area, in the centre of it all he was crouching on the ground with pieces of Nathan’s gun in panic as he picked up one not knowing how he was going to fix it.

“God, what took you so long?”

“I would have been with you sooner had you not run off like a complete shithead, I had to explain your weirdness because he was asking, I didn’t want him to get suspicious.”

“Okay, fine. Now help me put this fucking shit back together before Cable-”

                         “Before Cable what?” his rough voice came from nearby.

“Fuck me,” Wade said in a shrill voice.

“He just might. And what are you so worried for anyways? You’ve got regenerative healing moron,”

“That just means Cable can fuck me over as many times as he likes,”

“I did tell you not to play with it,” she said in a matter of fact tone.

“What in the actual fuck?” Nathan stopped just a few feet before the scene. “Not only did you lie, but you also broke my gun?” he clenched his jaw, his cyborg eye began to glow.

“Cable, please don’t hurt me,” he choked out.

“Oh I’m way passed hurting you,” he cracked his knuckles on both hands and twisted his head to let his neck click. “I made that gun myself and you played with it like it was some toy? You’re fucking dead.”

  “Haydes? Can I get a little help, please?” Wade nervously gulped and looked over his shoulder; she paid him no attention as she crouched on the ground.

“Reap what you sow bitch,” she commented as she raked through the leaves and put some smaller pieces of the gun together.

“Oh this is going to be very fun,” Nathan pounded his fist into his other hand and a wicked smile spread across his face.

“Spoiler alert: no faces will be pounded on today,” Hayden spoke up and Nathan turned to look at her in confusion. She stood up and handed him his gun fully intact.

“How did you?” he faltered, staring at the gun in his hands.

“Go ahead and fire it, I made it better than it was before it was broken,” she said confidently.

  Nathan lifted the gun and aimed it at Wade, it was set on a lower setting and he fired the blast, it sent Wade flying backwards into a faraway tree.

“Ow, my ass!” Wade yelled and Hayden giggled.

“It’s even better than before, how did you-” he looked at the gun, “How did you manage to ease the recoil so much?”

She shrugged, “It wasn’t that difficult, it’s a fairly basic weapon that you made with what you could get your hands on. So now you can’t pound Wade into the ground, otherwise I’ll come for you myself, I think breaking his ass on that tree is punishment enough.” She nodded to Wade.

Nathan stared at her in awe as she made her way over to Wade and helped him up, he said something to her that made her eyes roll and then she scooped him up bridal style, he nuzzled his face under her chin. She walked passed Nathan and Wade wrapped his arms around her neck.

“Love you sis,”

“Yeah whatever idiot,” she sighed as she carried Wade towards the mansion.

________________________________________________________________

>> Chapter 16 <<

[arazialotis]

A Girl Called Mike - Part 2

Characters: Dean, Sam, Reader

Word Count: About 3500

Summary: The reader disguises herself during hunting jobs as a man named Mike and has met up with the Winchesters several times. They are unaware of her true identity. Feeling they know and trust Mike, they agree to invite the reader to the bunker.

Click Here for Part 1

Warnings: Language, Violence

This is purely for a hobby and my enjoyment. Maybe some of you will enjoy it too. I am by no means a writer so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or grammatical/spelling errors. I appreciate any feedback or suggestions!

Special thanks to @misguidedconqueress for the suggestions, feedback and for putting up with me! :)

----

“Listen, there’s something I feel like I should tell you.” You started and paused, the next words not coming out of your mouth. “This place is sick. You bring all the babes down here?” You raved, keeping up the demeanor.

“Not quite, only a few close friends know about it. We keep it pretty private.” Sam stated.

“Ah, too bad, I could totally see a pole right here.” You showed them between the war room and the library, kicking yourself mentally for taking it too far.

Dean hit Sam's shoulder with the back of his hand. “Not a bad idea.” He agreed with a chuckle.

“Respectfully so.” You cleared your throat. “So, uh, for the Vodnik, I can go through any of these books?” You asked Sam.

“Yeah, of course, I’ll help you out.” Sam responded.

“No, I don’t want to be a burden.” You said.

“It’s okay, he gets off on it.”  Dean rationalized.

“I’m sure there is something more important for you to be doing.” You started again.

“Other than looking for another case, not really.” Sam insisted.

“Well, while you two nerds continue your sleep over, I’m going to grab some grub.” Dean joked and left for the kitchen.

“So, you got a system in place here?” You asked Sam.

“Yeah, some chronologically, others geographically.” Sam explained.

“This thing seemed to have an accent. East European.” You hypothesized.

“Okay. That gives me an idea of where we could start.” Sam concluded, grabbing some books off the shelves and handing them to you.

Not soon after you had started flipping through the pages, Dean came out with burgers and beer that no diner or bar could ever come close too.

“Oh my god,” You said with your mouth full. “This is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

Dean soaked up the praise, but downplayed it instead of gloating. “Ah, it’s nothing, just ran over to Applebee’s.” “Yeah right, this is amazing.” Had your mouth not been full of food, they might have noticed the change in your tone. However, you did notice and quieted again.

A few more hours passed and Dean pulled up Game of Thrones on his laptop.

“You know, if you didn’t play so much poker, you could probably afford a big screen for this place.” You teased, having several times wiped the floor with Dean’s deck. An unexpected advantage about living a lie you thought.

“Hey, don’t get to confident now. That’s my strategy. Boost your confidence so I can take it all away.” Dean countered.

“Mike, check this out.” Sam interrupted. You leaned over the table to get a better look. “This Czech myth is a small creature with human and frog-like features. It dwells in ponds or rivers and drowns anyone who comes to their territory. Unlike the Vodyanoy, the Vodnik can survive a few hours on land and even will help fisherman for a pinch of tobacco. Salt water is said to be poisonous.” Sam roughly translated.

“Well, I didn’t use any salt water. But I did tie it up in a cabin for a while. Perhaps being out of water too long did it in?” You thought out loud.

“Could be.” Sam looked up at you and paused.

Your eyes widened; concerned your wig was crooked or facial hair was peeling, but Sam just stared into your eyes.

You slid back down into your chair. “Does it say anything else?” You coughed, trying to distract him as you felt your fake features hoping all was still in its place.

“Umm, yeah. It captures the souls of the drowned and… stores them in it’s underwater liar…. In… porcelain cups.’ Sam translated and grabbed the computer from Dean to make sure his interpretation was correct.

You sighed and rubbed your temples. “Looks like I am going for a dive.”

“Nah, how bad could an eternal tea party be?” Dean joked.

“Yeah, cups are what you’re looking for.” Sam confirmed having translated it again.

“Alrighty then.” You pushed your chair back and stood up. “Thanks for everything, I’m sure we’ll run into each other soon.”

Sam got up confused. “You’re leaving now? You can stay and rest before you head out.” He offered.

“I’ll be back, but I wouldn’t be able to rest knowing I have unfinished business.” You explained.

Sam gave you a firm shoulder hug, “Well, you are welcome any time. I mean it.” “And when I finally find somewhere to settle down like you old men, I’ll invite you over for a barbecue or something.” You envisioned.

Dean came up for a bro hug and patted you on the back. You were concerned you let your hand linger too long on the back of his shoulder. “Seriously, anytime. But we are sending you a bill.” He teased.

“Later.” You ended heading up the stairs.

Finally, out of sight from their bunker, your ripped off the wig and facial hair convinced it had been a longest period of time you had gone in character. Driving back into the town, you decided to go as yourself not wanting for locals to recognize you as you had made your rounds only a few weeks ago. Not to mention the disguise would not hold well underwater. You stopped at a bigger city before you hit the town in order to find a scuba suit, renting it out would cost all your poker winnings but you really couldn’t think of a better solution.

You lied to a group of fisherman about a lost wedding ring and in return they warned you about drownings and disappearances. You could hardly resist letting them know the issue had been taken care of but thanked them for the warning, and convinced them you were an experienced driver which was another lie. After hours of searching and going through a few oxygen tanks, you came across an old cabinet. You used your hunting knife to pry it open and bust the lock. Sure enough, inside were porcelain cups with lids on top. You lifted up the lid on one and out came a bubble containing a blue orb that floated towards the surface. You recalled the number of drownings you had traced and counted a few extra containers. There must have been unreported cases. You released all of them and the last few cups were empty. Satisfied, you returned to the surface and checked into a local motel to recuperate.

For a few hours, you allowed yourself to be pampered. You treated your hair, used perfume, shaved your legs, and even painted your toenails. You thought about going out for a drink, but decided not to on account of not wanting to deal with men like Dean. You sighed at the thought of him. How did a womanizing ass occupy all your thoughts and desires? Perhaps the thought of having the unattainable or wanting him to realize he was searching for something that only you could satisfy. Your thoughts turned darker, perhaps it was being with someone so experienced. Your thoughts wandered to imagining his lips pressed firmly against yours, his calloused hands holding your waist and guiding your hips.

You felt a heat start to rise up in you and quickly turned on the tv, trying to break the cycle of your thoughts. You hadn’t been intimate since before the night the demon… Well, that thought surely broke your desire. Flipping through the stations you paused briefly on The Big Bang Theroy but continued flipping once the commercial came on. You switched past a news channel, but then immediately backed up finding it again. The news anchor described a murder in which the victim was decapitated and body was mutilated. The police were not releasing any details but had a line open for tips.

The town was only two hours from here. You thought it might possibly be a hunter taking care of a vampire problem but you wanted more information. You pulled out your laptop to look further into the police system. Sam had taught you some basic hacking skills and with smaller towns you usually could find a way into their database. You were able to pull up the case file and were shocked by what you saw. A lot of information had been left out of the news clip. Yes, the victim had been decapitated but by simply saying mutilation they left out a good chunk of the details. The head of some type of bird of prey had been sewn? onto the neck of the victim. Had you not been used to gore you would have been sick. Well, there ain't no rest for the wicked, you thought knowing you would be heading there first thing in the morning.

Another day came and back as Mike you were. Yes, the process was long and somewhat annoying but it was much easier to get information, be treated seriously, and not looked down upon (in a figurative sense) in his skin. The only problem that came was you never fully looked right in a men's dress suit. If you wanted it tight and professional it would not hide your figure. Trying to go with a baggy suit just made you look like a child playing dress up in their father’s sports jacket. So you just usually went in casual wear which could make playing FBI difficult but it didn’t deter you.

When the coroner asked about it you responded. “New policy, dress for your day, not that it’s any of your business but I don’t need a cadaver soiling my Brooks Brothers.” You said with a confidence that wouldn’t be questioned.

The coroner pulled out the victim's body. He had already removed the bird's head but kept it in the same compartment.

“No ID?” You asked.

“Not yet,” The coroner confirmed. “Police are cross-checking missing persons report.”

“And no head? Human head, that is.” You continued to question.

“Nothing. I have been assured the crime scene and outlying perimeters have been thoroughly swept.”

“Other than the mutilation, anything stand out as weird?” You asked.

“Yes, the time of death and decapitation don’t add up, I reran my tests several times.” He said confused.

“What are you saying?” You inquired uneasily.

“The body was technically still alive while the bird's head was being sewn on.” He reported.

The doors opened and a familiar voice sounded Mike’s go to fake identity. “Agent Dallas.” You looked up seeing Dean enter the room and Sam following behind both in their suits. “Violating the dress code again I see.”

“Dry up.” You responded again in the confidence you earlier presented. “I outrank the both of you combined. Glad to see you finally decided to show up.” It had been a similar routine you had conjured whenever you ran into each other on a case unexpectedly.

“Our flight was delayed.” Sam explained. “Can you give us a moment?” Sam directed at the coroner.

“I’ll catch them up to speed.” You assured him as he left the room. “So what? You two just can’t get enough of me huh?” You teased.

“Don’t get so full of yourself Mike, just making sure you aren’t slacking on the job.” Dean playfully bantered back.

You coughed away a blush, your thoughts from last night resurfacing. You reminded yourself, this was just the way dudes talked to each other. This was not flirting or tension in Dean’s eyes. Sam started inspecting the report and body.

“So what are you thinking, witchcraft? Occult?” You asked Sam.

“It seems… almost.. Egyptian.” Sam hesitantly said. “Ancient Egyptian deities were hybrids of different animals, mainly human bodies with animal heads.”

“We had a run in with one awhile back.” Dean soberly remarked remembering their case with Osiris.

“Of course you did.” You rolled your eyes, almost annoyed they have literally hunted practically every supernatural thing in the book.

“But this doesn’t seem to be a god itself, it’s almost as if someone is trying to create one.” Sam theorized, unsure of himself.

“Back to my theory of cult or witchcraft.” You interjected.

“I still think we should get a ram’s horn just in case.” Dean suggested.

“Yeah, it couldn't hurt.” Sam agreed.

“On it.” Dean called dibs.

“I'll look into some texts, see what deity this could be, it may give us some more clues on who or what we are dealing with.” Sam purposed.

“And I'll sweep over the crime scene. Maybe something was missed.” You decided.

“Alright, meet back up for lunch?” Dean asked.

“Plan.” You decided and headed off.

The body had been discovered in an abandoned storage facility, but apparently it was a place for local junkies to hang out. It was placed next to a small river and you really hoped you wouldn’t have to go diving again to look for the missing head. The gates of the property had been marked with police tape but it was easy to sneak around it. The pavement was overgrown with grass and weeds. Most of the units were unlocked and open, some containing boxes of junk. You went to the office in the far corner where the body was actually found. It was locked and sealed with police tape. Luckily, you had brought cutters expecting this.

Inside, it was dark and musky from years of sitting. Police had cleared what they thought had been evidence and dusted for prints. You doubted if anything would come of it. The papers that had been left behind appeared only to be old bills, budget records, and policy updates.

You headed to the manager’s private office. The old wooden desk was where the body was found, you recognized the scene from the pictures online. There was dried blood, feathers and candle wax. Trying to find something that was missed, you looked through drawers but they had been cleared out. However, down on the base of the desk, it looked as if though someone had carved in hieroglyphs with a pocket knife. As you did not see these in the police report, you snapped a couple of pictures and forwarded them onto Sam. You also scrapped off a substance from one of the shelves into a plastic bag. It might be possible to send it to the county forensics department, but it was highly unlikely they would get back to you before you and the scooby gang had the problem taken care of.

You completed your sweep of the office and still came up headless. You figured you would check the remainder of the storage units and any dumpster that may still be lying around. Walking through the maze of units, you kept your hand close to your gun ready to draw at any moment needed having the suspicious feeling you were being watched. As you turned a corner, you nearly jumped out of your skin as you almost literally ran into Dean.

“Jesus man, give a guy a heads up.” You vented, catching your breath making sure your low tone was correct.

“Losing your touch? You would have caught me snooping around five minutes ago if you were on your game.” Dean poked fun at you.

“And what about you, Ram’s horn?” You asked skeptically.

“Not my first walk through a synagogue.” Dean gloated. “Thought you might need a hand?”

You caught Dean up to speed on what you had and had not found.

“There was a stuck locker around that block,” Dean pointed. “With your help we could pry it open.” He thought.

And he was right, with a hammer you were able to pry a crowbar underneath the door and get some leverage as Dean forced it up. After the dust settled, Dean took out a small flashlight to get a better look inside. Metal shelves were lined with jars containing fluids, unknown substances, organs, and animal parts.

“How did they miss this?” Dean asked confused referring to the police.

He stepped into the unit and tripped some unseen trap, you grabbed him quickly upon hearing the click and pulled him back out before a canvas fell from the ceiling revealing several snakes and a human skull. You hid in Dean’s chest from the fright.

He chuckled nervously. “Don’t like snakes, Indy?”

 You realized your mistake and regained your composure brushing your clothes as if to unwrinkle them. “You think that’s our vic?” You asked nodding in the direction of the skull.

“I’d say it’s a high probability.” Dean tested the waters by stepping closer.

A cobra out of the bunch noticed Dean’s advance and raised itself as it hissed and widened its hood, fixated on him.

“Dean,” You whispered. “Step back slowly.” You instructed as you slowly took off your outer jacket.

Dean listened as you took your jacket reaching it as far away from you as you possibly could. You shook the jacket up and down encouraging the cobra to fixate on it instead of Dean.

“What the hell are you doing?” Dean whispered.

“I saw it on the crocodile hunter once.” You explained causing Dean to roll his eyes.

You continued shaking as the cobra was now spitting and striking at it. With it completely distracted you threw it as far as you could into the unit and the cobra chased after it. You motioned for Dean to slowly start backing up. Once a safe distance away you gathered your thoughts.

“I honestly can’t believe that worked.” You confessed breathless to Dean.

“You and me both.” He agreed. “Well gives us a place to go next, pet stores, the zoo.” He started.

“Yeah, no way that thing was from around here.” You concurred.

Dean felt comfortable enough to turn his back to the unit, where as you were still watching it as some of the snakes began to slither out. “And neither is that guy.” Dean responded. You turned around to see what appeared to be a man in an Egyptian robe and wearing a blue mask that sported a long snout and erect ears of some unidentifiable creature. “Unless I forgot it was Halloween again.” He said seriously.

“Always, with the jokes.” You whispered quietly to him as the figure watched you unmoving. “You don’t happen to have that horn on you?” “Nah.” Dean admitted.

“Alright, plan B it is.” You said lifting your gun and firing in its direction.

It calmly walked out of sight around the corner of the unit block. The both of you ran after it but came to an empty row of blocks. Dean signaled for you to start clearing the open units and to meet at the end as he headed the other direction. Your heart raced as it always did with a chase. You moved quickly through the units.

You stopped at one as the sun shone partially through it, highlighting the body of a falcon. The blood looked fresh, causing you to wonder if there was another victim here. Out of the corner the form took shape and struck you between the ribs with it’s blade. You were caught off guard; the pain not settling in yet, just the pressure.

“Mike!” Dean yelled, running to you.

The creature took notice of Dean and withdrew the blade, which is when the pain hit. You keeled over as Dean started shooting at the figure. It seemed to not notice raising the knife to strike a blow to the head. But one of Dean’s bullets finally found its mark. The beast looked down at it’s chest and vanished around the metal. The bullet drop to the floor with a clink.

You tried your best to stifle the scream coming up but couldn’t contain the pain. You sounded a low cry.

“Mike?” Dean asked trying to assess the situation.

You furrowed your brow and grunted, trying to find the focus to speak without ruining your disguise.

“Come on buddy, we got to get you outta here and patched up.” Dean instructed.

You pulled your hand away from the wound and saw it was covered in blood, a lot of blood. You put your hand back over it trying not to panic. “Ah fuck…” You hissed. “I’m… good, had worse.” You stuttered.

“Come on,” Dean encouraged. He wrapped his arm around your waist trying to hoist you up. You used your good arm to grab onto his shoulder to help him pull you up. “I’m not leaving you out here alone, just have to make it to the impala and I’ll patch you up.”

“Seriously, I’m okay….” You gasped for another breath. “I can do my own patch work.” Your brow started to sweat as the pain increased from the movements. He slowly helped you walk down the rows.

“Now’s not the time to be the brave soldier, Mike.” Dean ordered.

You started to panic with each step, and not just from the pain. If Dean got anywhere near this wound, there would be a least two things he would be bound to notice.

---

Click Here to Continue at Part 3

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[putschki1969]

Kalafina Club 2017/07/04

Note: According to my poll, lots of my followers would like to see more content regarding Kalafina’s regular radio show “Kalafina Club” so I thought I’d start right away. This won’t be a super detailed translation or anything. I guess you could consider it a sort of summary but hey, you know me, my summaries usually tend to be quite detailed XD As always be aware that my listening comprehension sucks so take everything you see here with a pinch of salt. Sorry this took so long >_<

Let’s get right to it 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Day duty: Hikaru (three times in a row! She has been busy!)

Song: あたらしい世界 (Atarashii Sekai/New World) – by The Gospellers (ゴスペラーズ) 1998

何もかもが あたらしい世界へ Nanimo ka mo ga atarashii sekai e きみをさらって行こう Kimi wo saratte ikou 世界一 短い誓いをするよ Sekai ichi mijikai chikai wo suru yo そうきみが 好きだよ Sou kimi ga suki da yo

Referring to the second to last line of the lyrics they just sang, Wakana says, 「短い誓いでした」 which pretty much means, “this was a short little vow”. In the lyrics it says “I am gonna make the shortest vow in the world, that’s right, I love you!”

The girls are very much smitten with this song, Keiko says that singing those lyrics about a love confession made her heart beat faster. YAY for “late night excitement”. Hikaru really loves the second line they sang, “きみをさらって行こう” which more or less means “I will take you with me [to a new world]” Wakana agrees, it’s a cool line, she is all like, “tomorrow? will you take me along tomorrow?” (referring to the listener who requested them to sing this song). To conclude this little romantic intro, we get one of Kalafina’s “love” songs =>

Te to Te to Me to Me

A fan has written a mail talking about all the different ways they are spending their summer (at the sea, at summer festivals, doing certain things etc) and then we have a question for Kalafina => Do you have any favourite ways how to spend your summer? 

Hikaru decides that due to this question it will be a “Kalafina Vision” segment!

Keiko is starting out by stating that summer is always a struggle for Hikaru and the both Wa and Kei wonder if Hikaru even has favourite ways to spend her summer days. As always one of the first things that Hikaru says is that usually she doesn’t go outside in summer. No surprises there. Then she goes on to say that she doesn’t really like opening curtains and windows in the summer due to the strong sunlight but her family members will always ask her to open them so it can’t be helped and she has to open them. So whenever her family starts asking her to open the windows she knows it’s officially summer. Wa and Kei make fun of Hikaru’s aversion to sunlight. Keiko is doing her best impersonation of Hikaru being all like, “No, stop, don’t open the windows. The sunlight....!!” Awww, vampire-Hikaru is the cutest thing ever! Hi says that she always feels like melting so she really doesn’t like the sunlight, Lastly, Hikaru established once again that she really loves eating shaved ice in summer.

Then Wakana tries to think of things that instantly make her feel like it’s summer. I am not sure but I think she talks about some radio show that’s also on air around the same time as Kalafina Club. Either way, she mentions that it’s always nice to listen to Joe Hisaishi’s summer themed songs on the radio, she especially likes to hear the orchestra versions, she even has a CD of those. And yeah, she feels it’s a great way to spend your summer days, listening to these pieces while thinking about all the lovely things in summer.

As is quite usual for Wakana, she suddenly changes the topic and mentions a friend of hers. Apparently Wakana doesn’t really like air conditioning but her friend on the other hand likes to blast the AC to a point where she will have to wrap herself up in blankets in summer. Wakana thinks that’s so fascinating. Hikaru says it’s probably comparable to sitting under the cosy and warm kotatsu (table with a heated blanket) in winter when it’s cold and then you feel like eating ice cream. 

Keiko then starts talking about how people tend to stay out longer during the summer months, they will walk around at night because it has cooled down a bit and there will be a refreshing breeze. She feels like that’s why it’s a little more dangerous at night. Then again, there are SO many people that in fact there is no real danger. Wakana is like, “let’s be careful! But let’s have fun!! And let’s not forget to bring a flashlight!” :P

They remember their trip to France in the summer of 2014, they went to have gelato at night around 10 pm. And they were really surprised since it was still light outside.

In your Eyes

Now it’s Keiko’s turn to talk a little. Keiko is describing the summer activities of an “imaginary” girl called A-chan. In her cute little kiddy-voice she lists stuff like “...I am gonna go to summer festivals nearby and I am gonna eat squid, drink lots of beer and enjoy some cocktails, then at home I’ll watch my favourite DVDs...” Wakana is like, “Oh that girl is having a blast!!” and then she suddenly gets curious and asks Keiko, “Is it possible that A-chan is me? It sounds a lot like me! Are you describing me?” Then the realisation hits her, “Oh no, it can’t be me, I don’t eat squid!...and I don’t drink beer...BUT I watch my favourite DVDs at home XD” (she later explains that she usually buys okonomiyaki at the festival and she will bring it home with her to eat it while watching a movie, most of the time she will just drink tea or something). Keiko then tells us some more details about A-chan, apparently she is a single woman in her 30s, so a girl of their generation XD A-chan always looks at girls in their 20s thinking about how young they still are...But then she doesn’t really continue with her stories about A-chan...I guess we’ll never find out more about her...

Wakana shortly talks about her plants but Hikaru says it’s probably not such a good idea since she is absolutely clueless when it comes to plants. That’s obviously because she spends all of her time watching anime XD Keiko interrupts her by yelling in a cute voice, “you need to go out girl!!!” Hikaru though is happy to stay at home watching summer animes. After all they provide enough heat, no need to go outside. The girls then go on to talk a bit about summer ghost stories, in particular Gakkō no Kaidan (literally School Ghost Stories), a series of horror movies. Wakana is like, “I love those films but I am also really scared of them.” Ever the talkative one, Wakana provides a short summary of one of the films for Keiko and Hikaru who have never seen it.

I think that Keiko says she would rather watch love stories.

Hikaru finishes by listing various ways to spend the summer of 2017 (the ones they have mentioned in the episode), they are people who do lots of outside activities, people who spend their time with all kinds of ghost stories etc...of course she finishes with an emphasis on people who spend their summer holidays watching anime. Lastly, the girls tell everyone to take care and to stay hydrated in the horrible summer heat

Natsu no Ringo

After this we get the usual info regarding new releases and upcoming lives. Nothing regarding their Hyakka Ryouran launch events yet but I am expecting info on those quite soon.

Most fans on twitter seem to think that we’ll get 「Hyakka Ryouran」 next week but the girls haven’t mentioned anything in that regard. We shall see. Also, there was no mention of Hikaru’s birthday during the entire episode. I guess it’s because they recorded it last week already. Maybe we’ll get something next week.

[speakeasy8]

[010] Suzuki, A.

Just to clear the air, this is what Akiko Suzuki said. So before you all start raising your pitchforks and burning the poor lady at stake (I see some on forums, here and Twitter already attempting it) why doncha all read and be your own judges:

What Akiko Suzuki thinks Yuzuru Hanyu should work on next season: Strive for a more emotional performance

I think Yuzuru Hanyu, while hailed as *the* Champion and having lost the last two WCs, probably has a lot of pent-up a frustration over the losses. This is because he’s not the kind of guy who only wants to win, he’s the kind of guy who wants to win by a mile.

He put up another record-breaking score in his LP at World’s. At 4CC back in February, from what I could tell of the expression on his face before his SP, he seemed to believe that there was still a gap between himself and younger competitors like Nathan Chen and Shoma Uno. He’s been able to afford a mistake here and there and still win so far but after that comp, he must’ve felt that that’s no longer the case. Something just seemed to have clicked within him after the end of the men’s SP that night. The final result saw him getting beaten in terms of combined total by Nathan and that’s likely what brought about his WC win. 4CC was the turning point for Yuzuru.

Ever since Yuzuru became the Olympic Champion in Sochi 2014, other skaters must have been thinking, “How do I beat Hanyu?” And the answer they apparently came to was, “Why, do all the jumps Hanyu can’t, of course!” So these other skaters started arming themselves with weapons Yuzuru doesn’t yet have. Skaters like Shoma, Nathan and Boyang, who podiumed at WC, are using these new quads to close in on Yuzuru, which is why we see them attempting all those flips and lutzes out there.

Yuzuru’s comeback performance of his free that led to his regaining his title was probably the best I’ve ever seen, bar none the best he’s able to put out for now (TL: read this part wrong and didn’t do a tl check when I posted. Sorry bout that. Good thing someone pointed it out in the forums). In the various things he has attempted during this 2016-2017 season, he must have come to a solid conclusion of what to include and what to exclude, so it’s only a matter of polishing the things that remain and tweaking them to as high a quality as he can get them. And that would likely be the base he’d be using going into the next season.

Yuzuru has a competitive streak that goes above and beyond so I’m guessing what he really wants to do is to put out a performance that is far beyond even what we have just seen. Maybe he’s even putting a lot of thought into the 4A and perhaps being the first to land it. But he’s also aware that he could end up hurting himself, and getting hurt never helps. So I’m sure he’s calmly studying what’s going on around him and thinking, “What’s my best strategy now?” Before, he would’ve been all gung-ho and just gone, “Imma do it!” but he’s now able exert a calm control that translated very well into his performance.

The instinct of an athlete and the calm of a competitor–being able to strike a perfect balance between these two was what enabled him to win at World’s. This will, in turn, heighten the resolve of skaters still in their teens like Shoma and Nathan to include even more technical content. Going by age, it would be tougher for Yuzuru to follow the same route. If Shoma and Nathan’s weapon is to arm themselves with even more firepower, Yuzuru will answer their challenge by sharpening his own even more, and raise his own level to heights unknown. With Yuzuru, it’s a matter of how one enhances what they have and how they use it.

What’s scary about Shoma and Nathan is that they are not entirely outdone by Yuzuru in terms of PCS. They aren’t exactly slacking in the skating department either. Which is why Yuzuru has come to perceive them as real threats.

After his SP at 4CC, Yuzuru was very clearly burning on the inside. And his barely-contained irritation after his SP at World’s was a good sign. When I saw that look on his face, I couldn’t help but think, “Now, /that’s/ an athlete.”

When Yuzuru is able to flawlessly execute his 3 types of jumps (TL, Sal & Lp) over 4 passes (like this), he’s in a whole different league altogether. So if there’s anything else he needs to aim for, it’s probably the ability to express more of his emotions. Had he been able to express them more on top of those jumps in the perfect performance he gave at WC, I think it’d have been even better than what it is now.*

Packing all those quads in is no cakewalk. That’s a given. What he put out on the ice at World’s is something I won’t hesitate to give him a standing ovation for. But Yuzuru’s emotions are a sight to behold and it would have been even greater if we could have seen more of them (that day). He has beautiful jumps while also being an emotional skater. Yuzuru has it in him to combine both. I know he does.

These three years, Yuzuru has been assailed by more than his fair share of health issues and like any other human, he has his ups and downs. But it’s precisely because of those, he has become even stronger than before. Anything and everything he could grow, I’m willing to bet he has. His mind and body have grown stronger, his abilities have increased. The Yuzuru Hanyu that we saw back in Sochi and the one we’ll see in PyeongChang will be two separate entities, I’m sure of it.

In Sochi, he was but a single challenger. In PyeongChang, he’ll be going in as the defending champion. The pressure that will surely be set upon him will be totally different than the one before. No doubt it’ll be extremely tough on him but it’ll be exciting to see the kind of performance he’ll present when he’s in his absolute zone devoid of others. That moment of release will be epic to behold.

–Akiko SUZUKI

[SOURCE]

I gotta say, I agree with the lady. The dude was maxed out putting out a clean and foot-perfect performance that he wasn’t able to manage the capacity for the more overt emotions like the ones we experienced from his H&L performances at NHK and GPF. Of course, if those had to go to make way for that lovely precision performance to be born, it’s well worth the sacrifice.

But now that he’s already done it, perhaps he can work on increasing his capacity so as to be able to fit both precision despite high difficulty and those beautiful emotions he’s so famed for? I mean it’d definitely be growth if he manages it, which is what he wants so much himself. He always seems to want it, no matter how far he’s come. And that’s one of the major things I really admire about him. If he manages it, he’d finally be the kind of complete skater no one in their right minds can naysay as well as one that’s, just as Suzuki has said, epic to behold.

p/s: Incidentally, my perfect rendition of H&L woulda been the NHK one with all its quads and its Bielmann replaced by the ones from WC.

pp/s: And I get why people are exasperated since all they apparently see and hear are people saying what they want to see Yuzuru improve on but never others. But get this. I feel Yuzuru’s unique drive is what’s inspiring people to give their two cents about his skating. I dunno about the other people who are being whinged about now but Akiko’s comment seems friendly and helpful. Like, she’s invested in him. Just like I am. So really, I simply don’t care about what the others’ flaws and strengths are. I only just care about Yuzuru’s, both his flaws and strengths. Because the kind of ideal performance he’s been making us dream about? That’s something only he, with his skills and physique, can deliver. Not others.

When she said PCS and SS, I got the impression she meant based on the protocols, because according to the judges, that’s indeed the case and unless Yuzuru is completely clean in both his short and long, or deliver something so scarily and inarguably beyond others even at their very best that their (the judges) hands are tied, it’s also up to them in the end whether or not he wins over the rest. What she seems to be doing, imo, is suggesting stuff that would give him the edge.

What I don’t agree with her is the age thing because it’s not due to age he’s not packing them in, it’s idealism, which she’s also addressing here so it makes that bit about him not packing in stuff just cos he’s a little bit older a tad contradictory. But to be fair, it was also a logic Yuzuru himself subscribed to once upon a time. He mentioned to the press right after Sochi that he intended to try as many quads as he could while still in his teens cos he didn't know how spry he'd still be once he hits his 20s. It's only now that he feels it's more a matter of sense than it is age. Still don’t find what she said offensive tho.

*Just realized I actually accidentally skipped an entire paragraph. It’s in now. Sorry bout that cos I did the whole thing on an iPad. And yeah I tend to translate based on context and nuance I perceive rather than direct when it comes to opinion pieces like this cos Japanese is a language that can sometimes seem rather cold and straightforward when not taken in context (where you’ve gotta read between the lines for the deeper layers and meaning the words may represent) with the context itself not translating well into English. So I do the next best thing and put it in way in actual words instead of subtle implication. Take my translations with a pinch of salt if you will but this is just how I do things when they are opinion or literary-based. (Not so much on hard news and facts, tho.)

[michellemaphoto]

Japan 2017: Tokyo

Tokyo was exactly what I expected and yet something different altogether. While I’ve watched Lost in Translation perhaps half a dozen times, at different periods in my life, I didn’t quite imagine that in some ways I’d be living the movie on this trip. And not just because I was going to Tokyo and Kyoto, but because Sofia Coppola is so on point about cultural differences that must be experienced and felt, not just observed.

More photos here.

Getting There

Getting to Tokyo was easy enough with United Airlines points and the fact that June is low season (also known as mosquito season, god). I figured that with my ability to eat and shop and tolerance for humid weather, 12 days would be enough to experience Japan on a first trip. I flew to Haneda Airport and landed in the afternoon which gave me a decent chunk of my first day to get acclimated to being there.

The first thing I did was buy Shinkansen tickets to Kyoto and to purchase foreign subway passes for Tokyo, both of which I could do at the airport before leaving. Did I mention that I had no idea how to purchase either of these from a logistical standpoint, and that prior online reading only prepared me so much? At any rate, I purchased both at the JR transportation and info centers at the airport, and the nice lady (who spoke excellent English) also helped me buy the JR ticket that would get me from the airport to Shinagawa Station, from where I could transfer to Shibuya Station, the nearest station to my hotel (and no, I had no idea how to get to the hotel from the airport; she told me exactly how!)

Nadeshiko Hotel Shibuya

Because I had my heart set on staying at very, very nice ryokan in Ito at end the trip, I had to save some money somewhere, and I sure as hell was going to eat whatever I wanted, so my budget came from staying here. I also wanted a very Tokyo experience, and a capsule hotel was the ticket. This hotel is great for many reasons: it’s clean, women-only (a plus for a solo clueless traveler), and within a reasonable (but not super-close, sigh) walking distance to a major station. It also cost about $40 a night since I booked online for an extended stay of 5 nights. 

While I can’t complain too much about this place, I do wish it was a bit closer to the station. At 20 minutes walk, it was pretty tiring going uphill to the hotel after a long day out walking. Other than that, it was a very Tokyo experience that I enjoyed. The hotel was extremely clean, tastefully pink-themed, and I loved the bathhouse. The bathhouse wasn’t by any means fancy, but I loved having a bit of a soak after a long day, to relax and think, and it was my favorite feature of the hotel. The complimentary yukata to use after bathing was an excellent touch, and I wore it every night while relaxing. The staff also called a taxi for me at 3:30 am when I wanted to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market, which showed up on time. Yay!

One thing I’ll say about capsule hotels, though, is the lack of privacy. Each capsule is made from metal and plastic, so the panels flex and creak when going up the capsule and even rolling around at night. There also is no insulation, so I could smell others’ perfume and hear their phone alarms in the morning. I’m also not an upper bunk person and was assigned an upper capsule (sigh). But, it’s $40 a night!

Food

1. Bill’s Omotesando (Harajuku)

Tokyo is the city to be in when in Japan and wanting to check out trends. Apparently, Australian breakfast is one of those trends, as I found out when I looked up breakfast places and found Bill’s, in Harajuku. The portions were a bit bigger than I expected from the typical Japanese fare, but still not the American portions I see at home, to my relief. However, it was expensive! 2160 yen for the Full Aussie.

2. Kyobashi Sembikiya (Tokyo Station)

While I’m on the topic of breakfast, let me talk about this place. I missed breakfast ramen at Tokyo Station Ramen Street by 5 minutes, as Rikurinsha had different hours than what I found online (ugh), but this place was open for breakfast. Except I didn’t order breakfast, because the ONE thing that attracted me here, aside from it being one of the few places open before 10am, was the mango parfaits. Delicious. Too much food. Too much dairy in the am. No regrets.

3. Itadori Ugashi Senryo (Tsukiji Outer Market)

Having missed breakfast ramen, I really, really couldn’t pass up breakfast sashimi. So, after seeing the tuna auction at Tsukiji Fish Market with mixed feelings, I decided to have breakfast sushi after, so that I could face more internal conflict but at least leave with a happy stomach. I read about this place online and it was open at 7.30a, so after browsing the Outer Market and eyeing a couple things to come back for, I sat down for the lean tuna, medium fatty tuna, and domestic uni bowl. I’m sad for the tuna, but I have to admit this was a delicious and filling breakfast that left me in a happy reverie. The fish quality is better than I can get for the money back home, so I can’t complain.

4. Mochi place a block and a half away from Itadori (Tsukiji Outer Market)

I have no idea what this place is called but it sold fresh strawberry mochi stuffed with red bean and topped with white strawberries (!). It also sold skewers of just white strawberries. I was happy. 1000 yen for both. I happily stuffed my face < 10m away from the stand, which incidentally helped the proprietor bring in more business. I should get commission for this. In the form of more mochi. I wouldn’t complain.

Disambiguation.

5. Rikurinsha Ramen (Tokyo Station Ramen Street)

So, I did actually end up having ramen in Tokyo. At least four times, if I remember correctly, but none of those times were for breakfast, sadly. I ended up here after a few hours’ browsing at the Daimaru at Tokyo Station. (Isn’t it brilliant to have a humongous shopping complex at a subway station?? I didn’t see the light of day all that day.) 

I still haven’t had such delicious tsukemon ramen in the US, and this place was so delicious that my hangry self couldn’t believe it. It also had a 45 min wait at 3pm. Be prepared.

Also, I’m not really sure what was in here. The vending machine options were in Japanese and all the photos looked the same. I chose the one on the top left. Remember Lost in Translation? 

It took me a while to get to this sign. 

The best part about eating the tsukemon is that after I’ve finished my fill of noodles, which were uniquely chewy and a different color than what I’m used to, an employee filled up my sauce bowl with some broth from the kitchen. I selected the yuzu option to cut through the richness, and loved how I could savor every last sip of that meal without any waste, and as a second course.

6. Senmon Hirugao (Tokyo Station Ramen Street)

So, I intended to go to the ramen place next door for their famous tonkotsu ramen, but ended up in the wrong line, and not knowing that I was at a different place altogether, dutifully ordered the top left vending machine option like a good clueless foreigner. Remember how all the options are in Japanese and the pictures are grainy and all look the same? I didn’t realize I was at the wrong place until I sat down and saw the guy eating ramen next to me. It looked seafood themed and not any sort of tonkotsu at all. My heart fell and I was suddenly very self-conscious. But, this shio ramen was actually delicious, with Hokkaido style thin noodles and a seafood chicken broth. Also, I had gyoza. That add-on was pretty clear from the vending machine menu.

7. Kyubey (Ginza)

I’m mixed about Kyubey. During my stay in Japan, I found the local fish to be in all regards better than the fish I find at home, in terms of freshness, overall quality, and selection. Kyubey was no exception. I particularly loved the live shrimp, sardine, sweet shrimp, and bonito, but I didn’t care much for the atmosphere. It was too rowdy inside, not what I was used to, and the guy sitting next to me was kind of a dick. Not gonna lie. To be fair, if I didn’t have to politely talk to the guy next to me (who was rude even though I didn’t understand most of what he said), I would have had a better time of it, but it was hard to stomach someone like that on my first nice dinner in Tokyo and not have any sort of retort I could brandish in return, particularly when almost everyone else I encountered on the rest of the trip was at least polite, if not downright helpful and very nice. 

The food here was delicious but I didn’t have the greatest time, and while it wasn’t cheap, at least I didn’t spend an utter fortune here. One other quibble: I thought a couple of the fattier pieces of fish had too much wasabi in them, and actually did not balance well with the fattiness of the fish. 

I ordered the Kyubey dinner with 16 pieces of sushi.

I did not catch the name of this fish. 

Halibut.

Squid.

Lean tuna. Not pictured because I ate it. 

Fried fish bone and shrimp finger food. A good rest from all that rice.

Sweet shrimp, with a tiny pinch of salt. One of my favorites.

Uni.

Otoro.

Fresh shrimp.

Scallop.

Sea bream. One of my favorites throughout the trip.

Sardine. Another favorite.

Bonito. Yet another favorite.

Clam.

Cooked tuna.

Daikon and shiso leaf with sesame.

Anago. SO GOOD.

Miso soup with clams. Why is the miso soup in Japan so damn good everywhere?

Pickled squash, cucumber, and tuna, then egg.

I think that if I’d gone in with the right expectations for atmosphere and brought along a friend, I would have had a fine time here. It’s a very social atmosphere and most customers seemed to be regulars, easily chatting and joking with the chefs, and it felt a bit awkward not having anyone to chat with and not understanding any Japanese. But tbh, next time I think I’ll splash out for Jiro Roppongi, if I can get a reservation.

8. Morimoto (Shibuya)

I sought out a yakitori place. I had to have yakitori in Japan, and this place did not disappoint. This place was hard to find -- in the back of an alley with a sign only in Japanese, and nothing else to indicate it was a yakitori restaurant. I was perhaps the only customer here who was under 40, and I was definitely the only one who did not speak Japanese, but the atmosphere here, while seemingly similar to Kyubey with the regulars and non-English speakers, was exactly the opposite. It was relaxed and everyone was very polite to make room for me at the small counter when I stepped in. The two individuals next to me even politely asked where I was from and made room on the counter for my SLR when they saw me take it out, clearing away some surface space so I could have a clear background. 

The yakitori was damn good. Not as charcoal grilled out of its mind as I’ve found to be the case in the Bay Area, although I’m not sure if that is the norm for Japanese yakitori or just what I experienced here. At any rate, the charcoal infused the food with a more delicate flavor than I’d experienced back home and allowed the flavors of the Tokyo chicken and veggies to come through. My favorites were the Tokyo chicken, ginkgo nut, and unagi. The unagi was quite special. It was brushed with THE most delicious sauce I’ve had on eel, and the skewer, which cost quite a bit more than each of the other skewers, featured a sizable piece of eel the likes of which I haven’t seen in the bay area. YES.

Ground chicken, quail eggs, and ginkgo nut.

Green onion and chicken thigh.

Shishito peppers and green onion.

Fresh shiitake mushrooms and green bell pepper.

Unagi. 1400 yen but worth it.

Ginkgo nut.

Chicken skin.

9. @Home Cafe (Akihabara)

I really didn’t expect to, but I had a good bit of fun here. Located in the colorful Akihabara section of Tokyo, this place was fairly easy to find as it was close to the subway station and featured prominent ads on buildings as I walked around. 

I waited an hour and a half to finally get in, despite the cafe spanning several floors in its own building. Business is good here! I opted for a matcha latte (not exciting, but I could have my maid draw up something on the foam, which was cute) and photo op with my choice of maid. Everyone here was very professional, chatty, and the people watching was a real treat. Highly recommend.

I had to wear silly cat ears. Cost of doing business.

10. Park Side Cafe (Ueno Park)

I wandered in, wanting to rest my feet and get out of the humidity for a bit, after spending the entire morning at the Tokyo National Museum and having not very good Filipino noodles for lunch at the nearby Filipino Summer Festival (random, I know). I ordered a Marie Antoinette tea, straight from Versailles, and chilled out. I particularly loved the architecture and design of the cafe, which allowed in plenty of natural sunlight through the windows and skylights.

11. Book Lab Tokyo (Shibuya)

I discovered this coffee shop and bookstore while walking back to the capsule hotel and dropped by my last evening in Tokyo for a ginger ale soda and some time to reflect on my trip. The bookstore had a nice design with clean lines, eclectic mix of books and a decent travel section, which even featured visits to California, Portland and Hawaii! I liked the vibe here and appreciated that it was a good place to chill and have a drink.

Sights and Shopping

1. Ghibli Museum

I know I’d love it here if I went, but alas, I couldn’t get tickets in time. I’d suggest booking tickets a few months ahead, as they fill up quickly.

2. Akihabara 

Surprisingly, this was my favorite neighborhood. I thought I’d love Harajuku much more, but Akihabara was really cool in a way I didn’t think I’d appreciate. I couldn’t say no to the shelves of gaming mice, could I? Or the souvenir shop, Kotobukiya, selling Totoro stuff? I liked the overall vibe of being openly nerdy. Which I was. Don’t judge.

I browsed around the neighborhood before heading to @Home Cafe.

3. Harajuku

I checked out a really cool furoshiki place called Musubi in Harajuku, a few blocks away from Takeshita Street. This shop was owned by a very nice lady who was chatty about her products and curious about my photography and blog. I had a nice time perusing the selection of cute, kitschy designs and left with a cloth printed with wood block style cat designs and a more traditional pale pink one.

One store a couple shops down from Musubi sold high-end, handmade goth jewelry, which made me so happy. Alas, I don’t need another skull ring (and yes, I do actually have one). 

Takeshita Street was crammed with people, mostly students under 18 who were out of class and tourists. I liked browsing the stores and checking out the latest styles and subcultures but overall it was a bit too touristy. I also got one of the much-talked about crepes, but it wasn’t anything to write home about, IMO.

4. Shibuya

I couldn’t stay in Shibuya and not explore. I decided a good time was during the day when I’d be able to do all the people watching to my heart’s content. I had to start with an obligatory visit to the Hachiko Statue, getting a photo with it and later on even spying a smart kitty sleeping under the statue in the hot sun.

The people watching at the pedestrian crossings was really fun and I loved capturing the pedestrians with the neon signs and shopping complexes.

5. Tokyo National Museum

I love museums and this museum’s exhibit Highlights of Japanese Art was a good primer on Japanese art, as described. I also liked the more specific exhibits on the lower floor, and I learned a bit of history while I was here. Hooray for culture!

My favorites were the swords, lacquerware, calligraphy, and ink paintings.

6. Tsukiji Fish Market

This is a must-see destination, even though I’m so conflicted about tuna and overfishing in general. While I don’t like how booming the tuna industry is globally, and I was sad to see so many tuna up for auction, I have to admit that I absolutely love eating it when my conscience allows me to (about once every 2 years). It’s pretty far away from my hotel and I had to get up before 3am to make the second tour group for the tuna auction.

The introduction by a tuna auctioneer, who spoke great English and had a sense of humor, was very informative and helpful in understanding what I was about to witness next, from explaining the fishing process to the bidding process. As tourists, we weren’t allowed to mingle with the bidders or get too close to the fish, as the market is still a place for doing business. However, the time I did get to check out the market and auction was more than enough to appreciate how seafood makes its way to our dinner plates.

7. MoCHA Cat Cafe

Because I’m a cat person and I thought cat cafes started in Japan (actually, they started in Taiwan). I had time to check out one near the hotel, so I went to this one. This cat cafe was extremely well run -- it was spotless, had very polite guests, and the cats were well socialized and cared for. I even got to witness feeding time! And the cat-oriented furniture was smartly designed with its scratchable surfaces, but the “cafe” still had a relaxing lounge atmosphere where I could chill out and cat-watch. It was very fun. Next time, I’d probably go to a more hipster cafe, such as one in Akihabara, that features “exotic” breeds.

The sound of 20 cats crunching. Omg.

8. Tokyo Station 

A visit to Tokyo Station just to experience the insanity of such a humongous subway and train station, and the crowds, is a must, not to mention eating at Ramen Street and shopping at Daimaru. Ramen Street featured all the ramen I could want to eat, but alas, I wasn’t able to check out every restaurant, and the rest of the station has an extensive dining wing as well. 

Daimaru is awesome. It sells everything. Well, everything that I personally love, from stationery (fountain pens! notebooks!) to fancy umbrellas, Japanese designer clothing, and a shoe salon that would put any Nordstrom to shame. And the basement of all the Japanese department stores almost made me faint with the savory and sweet food selection. Only I couldn’t find much seating anywhere, unless I sat in the few chairs next to each escalator and elevator.

9. Ginza 

Ginza was a great place to shop for designer items, although since many of the designer boutiques have stores in the US and I went after Kyubey, close to closing time for most shops, I only had enough time to check out the massive Uniqlo and the Yamaha Flagship Store. Both were fabulous and had impressive selections. I loved the sizing and style of the Uniqlo in Japan and the selection here didn’t disappoint. The Yamaha store was also eye-opening with its entire floor dedicated to pianos, another floor dedicated to sheet music, and many other floors I didn’t have time to visit.

10. Meiji Shrine and gardens

So, the shrine itself is under renovation here and was covered with a shrine-patterned canvas. Smart. I instead wandered the gardens, opting for a stroll through the wide gravel pathways leading up to the shrine and paying extra for a walk through the Inner Garden, which includes the Iris Garden and Kiyomasa’s Well.

Last Thoughts

Tokyo was crazy -- so many people, so many shops, so much to do and see and literally not enough time to cross everything off my list of things I just had to do. Tokyo is a city that merits several trips over a few years to really get a better feeling of what there is to explore, but my 5 nights here was enough for me to enjoy it, too. It was a place where I could just let life happen to me, eat something a bit mysterious, and see what people I come across. It was exciting and I can’t wait to go back! Although, spoiler alert, when it came to comparing cities, Kyoto won that contest!